


Suit and Jacket

by LinksLipsSinkShips



Series: Folk, Hop, n Rhink [1]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Teenage Rebellion, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2018-11-09 18:16:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 104,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11110155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinksLipsSinkShips/pseuds/LinksLipsSinkShips
Summary: Rhett's dad demands he goes to engineering school, but Rhett has something else in mind.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Recommended listening: Suit and Jacket by Judah and the Lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Art for this chapter by EmmaMMG](https://emmammg.tumblr.com/post/162825103394/chapter-1-whats-up-man-things-okay-links). Find her on [Tumblr here](https://emmammg.tumblr.com).
> 
> Recommended Listening
> 
> Suit and Jacket- Judah and the Lion  
> Jack and Diane- John Mellencamp  
> Young Turks- Rod Stewart  
> What About Now- Lonestar

“Rhett James McLaughlin, you are not stupid, so stop acting like you are.” Rhett’s father glowered, his eyes flashing with anger at the thought of his son going to film school instead of actually accomplishing something that mattered. He ran the palm of his hand against the edge of his desk, voice booming, “What are you even thinking?”

Rhett shrank back against the wall, as much as his large frame could shrink, anyway. Despite his 6’7” frame, his father could make him feel small with just a handful of words.

“We just… uh… um… we thought…” Rhett stammered, not sure how to fully phrase exactly what his plan was.

“You thought you’d go to film school, make movies, be some big shot celebrity in Hollywood? That’s not real, Rhett, people like us don’t do that. We buckle down, we work hard, we provide for our families. You’re not going to film school, and that’s final.”

Rhett’s eyes welled up with tears, so he turned his head. He didn’t want his father to see him cry, didn’t want to show that weakness he felt inside. From the outside, his family seemed picture-perfect. His parents were still married, and they had the perfect number of kids-- just two, not too many, and not too few. The only thing that could have made their family seem more perfect to the outside world was if Cole had been born a girl instead of a guy. Rhett let the thought blossom in his mind, giving a lighthearted thought to the overall impending doom he felt from his father’s expectations. Cole as a girl, that’d be funny. However, behind closed doors, things were different than what the world saw. His father was harsh, and at times it felt like his family was pulling apart at the seams.

“Now, Rhett, if that’s all settled, I’d like to get back to work. Please close the door on your way out.” His father, a professor, often worked with his door closed late into the night. Rhett wondered if the long nights of hard work were worth it. Did his dad really enjoy the idea of just slaving away until he died, doing something he didn’t care about? He shuddered at the thought of late nights spent in a stuffy office, trying to grade papers or something, ignoring his family and abandoning his filmmaking passions.

“Hey, mom, I’m going to go for a walk, okay?” Waiting for a nod as his mom washed dishes by the kitchen sink, he stepped out the door into the crisp fall air. His mind wasn’t sure where he was headed, but his feet took charge and led him right where he needed to be. When he reached his best friend’s front porch, he realized it was fairly late in the evening to be showing up. He eyeballed Link’s window, and then he picked up a tiny pebble.

He tossed the pebble gently at Link’s window, causing a light tap. He didn’t see anyone stirring in the room, though. What if Link wasn’t even in his bedroom? Rhett picked up another pebble and tossed it again, another tap. Rhett grinned, chuckling to himself in the dark at the realization that in movies, this was something you usually saw guys do outside their girlfriend’s window, not their best friend.

With no response again, Rhett readied himself to walk home, but then he froze as he saw the bedroom light flicker on. The curtain peeled back and Link looked at Rhett through the window. He held up a finger indicating that Rhett should wait, then he disappeared behind the curtain. Just a minute later, Link bounded out the door.

[“What’s up, man? Things okay?” Links sparkling blue eyes flashed in the darkness inquisitively, as he settled his back against the bark of the tree in the front yard.](https://emmammg.tumblr.com/post/162825103394/chapter-1-whats-up-man-things-okay-links)

[“Yeah. I mean… no, actually. They’re really not.”](https://emmammg.tumblr.com/post/162825103394/chapter-1-whats-up-man-things-okay-links) Rhett confided in his best friend, telling him the full story of how his dad refused to let him go to film school, how he insisted on Rhett getting a real job, becoming a doctor or professor or engineer.

“Come on, engineering can’t be that bad, can it? What would we do, build bridges? Design structures?” Link tried to find the positive in the situation. Rhett, however, lingered on the word _we_. It implied that where he led, Link would follow, and if he had to go to engineering school or something, then in Link’s mind, so did Link.

Rhett stared into the darkness as Link continued to talk about the possibility of them going to college together, certain that being a doctor wasn’t the right fit for him since he was so woozy around blood, meaning the best fit was for the two of them to become engineers. He continued, telling Rhett that maybe they could find jobs at the same engineering firm or something, and tossed out the idea of them being roommates, because obviously they would be roommates, right? Rhett heard Link talking, trying to make Rhett feel better about all of this, but the details about what he was saying were fuzzy.

“Link,” Rhett interrupted after a few minutes, “is that really what you want, man? To get up and go work someplace, suit and jacket and all that, mapping out roads or doing whatever it is that engineers do? That’s really how you want to spend the rest of our lives, buddy? You want us just to work until we die here in North Carolina, without achieving our dreams, our goals that we planned together?” Rhett’s voice was almost pleading, but Link remained silent for several seconds, closing his eyes and flexing his shoulder blades against the tree bark. Rhett examined his face as Link furrowed his brows, then finally spoke.

“No, Rhett, I mean, you know I want to make something with you. Something bigger than us! You know that film school is our plan and all that, and that it’s everything my heart is set on. But if you’re going to engineering school, then I’m going to engineering school. Whatever, we’ll figure it out.” Rhett admired his friend’s ability to roll with the punches here, but it made him feel a little bit sick inside that solely because his dad made a decision for his life, his friend was feeling like he had to change the course of his own, even though he acknowledged he didn’t want to. Where was their chance to figure out who they are, what they wanted from life? What did his dad get to dictate what they both did for the rest of their lives? His nostrils flared as he felt this deep-seated mixture of grief and rage, like he was angry he lost something he didn’t even have yet.

“We don’t have to do this,” the taller boy spoke earnestly. “We don’t have to be engineers, we don’t have to trade our freedom just because my dad says so. We don’t.” His eyes were welling up again, but he knew in the darkness of the night, there was no chance his friend would see, so he didn’t stop them this time.

“Rhett, what the hell are you talkin’ about? Your dad said you had to do this, so we have to do it. That’s just how it is.”

“No! No, Link, you aren’t listening to me!” Rhett insisted. He reached forward and grasped Link’s hand in the darkness, making sure his friend was listening. “We. Don’t. Have. To.”

Link allowed Rhett to hold onto his hand for dear life, allowing himself to be the anchor to his friend’s sudden rebellion.

“Then what exactly do you suggest, Rhett? What’s goin’ on up there?” Link reached up with his free hand to tap Rhett in the center of his forehead.

Rhett pressed his eyebrows together, working something out in his head like he was doing some sort of complex mathematics.

“How much money do you have saved up, Link?”

Link’s sapphire eyes rolled upwards to think about it. “I don’t know… a couple hundred from mowing lawns, maybe a little more under my bed from my birthday. Why?”

“I have some, too. Stuff from work, from Christmas last year, that sort of thing. What if we just… drove to California? We could intern at a studio or something, heck, we could work in the mailroom. Work our way up through the system, make a name for ourselves. We could actually do this, man. We’ve got a car, we’ve got gas money.” Rhett’s heartbeat quickened as he thought of the possibility, the actual potential they had to run towards freedom, towards the dreams that were actually theirs, not the ones imposed on them by family, or what their small southern town thought men should do after high school.

“You mean, like… after we graduate? We could skip out on college and just go out West?”

“No, Link. Like now.”

“Now?” Link’s voice quivered a bit. It shook with potential, but also the fear of making such a big decision. He was just 16, Rhett 17, and they had so many possibilities ahead. Was engineering school going to be that bad? I mean, it would give them something to fall back on if their dreams of entertainment didn’t work out as planned. But where Rhett went, Link followed. Not passively, not to avoid making the decision, but actively, a conscious decision to follow his best friend into the wild unknown. It was their dynamic, and who they were to the very core of their being. Link decided there were worse ways to spend life, worse ideas than going to California. That was their eventual plan, wasn’t it? So why _not_ now? “Okay.”

They stood out there for quite awhile, trying to figure out their plan. They agreed it would be too difficult to leave in the middle of the night, both since their families would hear them, and because it would just be painful. No, they’d leave in the morning. Pack their bags, leave Buies Creek, leave high school and their friends and families and girlfriends and all talk of wasting their lives on a career path they didn’t want. They’d work their asses off to achieve their dreams, just like they’d planned when they made a blood oath just a year or two ago. They’d prove Rhett’s dad wrong. They shook hands firmly, business partners in this shared bond to run towards their dreams. Then, they parted ways for the night.

Link sniffled as he quietly packed his bags. He’d miss his mom, sure. But wasn’t this the best possibility? He and his best friend wanted to make something together, and this was their chance to go do it. As he tucked his favorite shirts into his duffel bag, he started to feel a lightness he hadn’t ever known. As he pulled his money out and stuffed it inside a sock in the corner of his bag, he was more certain than ever that they were making the right decision. Everyone around them was growing older, even they were growing older, and getting to the point in life where they’d have to make adult decisions anyway. He didn’t want to die knowing that he hadn’t lived up to his potential, and this was his way of making sure that he had some control in the situation. Besides, where Rhett went, he went.

Most people didn’t understand their friendship, figured that if they were that close, they must be… well, even closer. Their town once pushed a man to leave because at his karate studio, he taught bits of Eastern wisdom, which went against the norm in small-town North Carolina, and two teenage boys who were that close as friends, well, they responded pretty similarly. They just didn’t understand. Rhett looked after Link like a brother, something Link didn’t really have as an only child. They took care of each other, and there was nothing weird about that. Link wondered what people would say, though, when they realized that the pair were gone. He knew what conclusions they’d draw. “Screw it,” he whispered to himself in the darkness. “Let ‘em.” He zipped his duffel bag closed and set it next to the door.

At home, Rhett packed his own bag, removing all of his basketball gear to fill the spaces with the things he’d need for the trip. Heck, for the rest of his life. Were they coming back? He didn’t think they could, not if they left like this. His heart fluttered with anticipation, and he found it so hard to sleep that night. He knew his best friend, who tackled worry with a nap, was probably snoring and mumbling in his sleep right now. But Rhett, well, he didn’t work like that. So he stared up at the ceiling in the darkness. What would the future hold? Would they even be able to pull this off? He had an idea, peeling back the covers and climbing out of bed. He snuck quietly towards his dad’s office, seeing that the light was finally off. It means the path was clear. He snuck into the office, and in the back of a drawer, he found the last item he needed to take. Filled with memories of family Christmases and vacations, but also with ridiculous interviews and sketches he and Link had filmed together, he knew the camera needed to go. If their dream was filmmaking, they weren’t leaving town without a camera. Rhett grabbed it and every blank tape he could find, then returned to his room. All packed, he tried once more to sleep. Eventually, his eyes did close, if only for a few hours.

The next morning after breakfast, Rhett gave his mom a big hug, kissing the top of her head.

“Bye, mom,” Rhett said into her hair. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Honey, I’m gonna see you after practice. You’re actin’ like we’re never gonna see each other again!” her sweet drawl and blindness to the situation at hand both made him smile and want to cry. His emotions were so mixed… this was such a big decision, and while it could go amazingly well, it could fail. Either way, they’d probably be hurting a lot of people in the process.

“I know. I just wanted to let you know that I’d miss you today, that’s all.” Rhett’s stomach knotted, so he stuffed the feelings down deep inside. If he let them bubble to the surface too much, he might not have the courage to press on with the plan.

Pulling out of the driveway, duffel bag and backpack already in his car, Rhett drove to Link’s house. They carpooled to school more often than not, so this wasn’t out of the ordinary. It allowed them time to hype each other up for the day, or just mellow out and listen to their favorite music. After school and practice, they’d sometimes explore the woods or visit the Cape Fear river for a swim on nice days. “Hey, man, you ready?” Rhett asked as Link opened the passenger door.

Link smiled as he put his backpack and duffel in the car, then climbed into the passenger seat. Their fingers brushed as they both went to turn the music up, but Link gave control of the volume to Rhett, who cranked it up to the same volume he would have chosen anyway. Their favorite Merle Haggard song played on the station they were tuned to.

With the windows down and his shirt sleeve ruffling in the breeze, Rhett pulled onto the road. As they pulled away from Buies Creek altogether, he smiled, optimistic with what the future might hold.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out on the road, Rhett makes sure that Link is willing to continue their journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter illustration by @emmammg can be found [here](https://emmammg.tumblr.com/post/162987993629/chapter-2-rhett-smoothed-the-map-on-the-hood-of).

“Crap! We’re almost out of gas already!” Rhett pounded the steering wheel, annoyed. They hadn’t even made it out of North Carolina yet. Heck, their families didn’t even know they were gone yet, he was sure. They probably assumed the boys were both safe at school.

“Don’t worry, man, we can just pull up here and get some.” Link gestured to an approaching gas station, as Rhett changed lanes to take his advice. “We should probably wait to grab any food, though. Make our money stretch a bit.” Link had already counted their combined financial holdings. He’d saved more than he had initially thought when considering it under the tree last night. He had around $600 total between mowing lawns and birthdays, then a big jar of coins he emptied his pockets into every time he took his jeans off at the end of the day. Rhett had brought $412 to the table, plus a smaller coin jar of his own.

“I got us covered, buddy. You packed your lunch, right, let your mom think it was for school?” Rhett inquired.

“Yeah, I’ve got a peanut butter sandwich, some chips, maybe an apple or somethin’,” Link considered what his usual sack lunch was.

“Well, I asked my mom to double up on my lunch this time, since I get so hungry before practice… so I have two whole meals. We can split the extra one for lunch, then save our normal lunches for dinner. I also snuck a box of cereal and a jar of peanut butter out of the pantry in my backpack.” Rhett knew his friend would love the cereal and the peanut butter, and he figured that food would be really expensive on the road. They had to make their money stretch any way they could, and his family probably wouldn’t miss the stuff he took.

“I’m sorry I didn’t think to bring any extra food, Rhett. I just… I guess I was so focused on making sure I had the clothes and the money that I didn’t really think to bring anything else like that.” Link crinkled his brow, frowning as he looked at his lap. He felt like he had let them both down. How much more could they have made their money stretch if he had contributed to their food supply, as well?

“No worries, buddy,” Rhett reached across the car and patted Link’s chest, trying to perk him up. “I got us all covered, and besides, you brought more money along. We’re more than even here.” Rhett parked next to a gas pump, popping open the tank, less than an hour and a half after their trip had started. He hoped that fueling up now meant they could get through another state or two before having to stop again. And, he supposed it was better they fueled up now instead of back home, where someone might have asked why they weren’t at school. Word travels fast in a small town, and Rhett knew it would probably be best to get as far away from home as possible before their parents knew they were gone. He didn’t want to think about how his father would respond if he found out they had run. His mind ventured back home, to Buies Creek, to where they’d be right now if they hadn’t gone this route. He’d be in English class, he figured. Still the first class of the day. Link bounded out from the gas station, having taken the time Rhett spent fueling up to relieve himself.

“Here, Rhett, I’ll finish fueling up. You go on in. I don’t want us having to stop again anytime soon,” Link said, his eyes dancing with delight. Rhett smiled. If Link was happy, then Rhett knew it was the right decision. They both deserved to live their lives fully, without his dad calling all the shots for both of them. Rhett ducked inside the gas station.

[Rhett smoothed the map on the hood of the car and Link leaned over it. “See, it looks like our best bet, going to California from here, is to get on I-20 after I-94, then just stay on that for a while.”](https://emmammg.tumblr.com/post/162987993629/chapter-2-rhett-smoothed-the-map-on-the-hood-of) The map cut off around the Georgia-Alabama border, but it appeared if they stayed on that heading, they’d at least get through Georgia without any real need to get off of the highway at all.

Settling back in the car, Rhett was still in the driver’s seat. It seemed like an unspoken agreement since it was Rhett’s car they took. They both knew they’d have to trade off eventually, but as long as Rhett’s legs were still fresh, he’d keep himself in the driver’s seat. They were used to long drives together, cranking up their favorite songs, winding on long roads without a set destination. This was different, though, and both of them stiffened a little in their seats as they crossed the state line into South Carolina, the furthest they’d ever traveled just the two of them.

If they wanted to, they could turn back now, get home before school was out, sit at their respective dinner tables tonight with their own families. The worst repercussions would be those from a day spent playing hooky from school. They’d laugh about it, maybe get grounded, and then buckle down and continue on the path Rhett’s dad had spelled out so clearly the night before. Rhett looked over at Link, who was sound asleep, mouth open, in the passenger seat of the car. _No,_ he thought to himself. _We’re going to see this through._ It was then that he remembered he had the camera, so he carefully fished around the backseat until his hand felt it land on the device.

Holding the steering wheel steady with his knees, he loaded a blank tape into the camera, then turned it on, hit record, and propped it up on the dashboard. The camera was focused on him driving and Link sleeping, the first part of their trip. Right now, things still looked like home, or close enough, so he didn’t feel that the window was the best view. Link could get some shots of their car ride later when he woke up. For now, the dashboard was doing the work as long as Rhett didn’t take any sharp turns.

Link slept through all of South Carolina. It wasn’t until they had just crossed the Georgia state line that he woke with a start. “Where are we, man? How long have we been driving?”

“A few hours. Let’s top off the gas tank, then let’s have some lunch. Wake yourself up, though, because I need to switch places for a little bit, I think.” Rhett’s turn signal led them off of the highway as they pulled into a gas station not far past the Georgia line. He’d be lying if he said they needed more gas already, but he really needed to stretch his legs, which were impossibly long and exhausted already. If they were stopping to switch drivers anyway, they may as well fill up. He imagined gas would be cheaper in the southeast than in LA, so keeping the tank fueled in the cheaper states might be a better plan.

They both stretched, then leaned on the hood of the car to eat half a sandwich each, tackling the first of Rhett’s two meals easily. Both growing young men could have eaten more, but they knew they had to savor what they had, so they tucked the rest of the food back into the car and continued their journey, this time with Link behind the wheel.

Rhett wasn’t like Link… he couldn’t sleep in the passenger seat as easily as Link had. Link liked to doze off and wake up where he intended to be, but Rhett stayed up to talk to Link.

“Our parents won’t even know that we’re gone yet,” Link muttered into the air of the car, silent aside from the hum of the road under their wheels. “I mean, our teachers will, but our parents will still be at work and all that…”

“Yeah, man, we have a few more hours until they find out. Why, are you wanting to turn around? If you are, I could probably get you home by dinner.” Rhett had thought about it while Link slept, but after saying the words out loud, he was afraid Link might actually say yes.

“No.” Link stopped talking after that, and for a long stretch, they just let the silence fill the air

“I noticed you brought the camera?” Link raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah. I mean, if we want to be filmmakers, here’s our chance. We can make our trip into a little documentary, I thought. It might be fun.” Link smiled while Rhett explained some of the shots he had in mind for the documentary they’d be making. He popped the camera on and trained it on Link.

“Hey, Link, what are we doing, man?” Rhett asked behind the camera.

“Following our dreams, shabaz,” Link replied with a pet name they rarely seemed to use anymore. “Following our dreams.” Rhett took the time to capture the scenery. Bright white cumulus clouds and blue skies gave him a sunny sense of security, and plenty of trees made a bold green impact in the bright midday light.

“Do you think we have enough cash to make it to California? Like, when we factor in gas and food and all that?” Link was the first to break the silence again, worried about their funds. Rhett considered powering down the camera to allow them to have this conversation privately, but documentaries were intended to be real, so he turned the camera back towards Link.

“I don’t know. If we’re careful, we can make it stretch. I guess if we run low, we’ll have to come up with a backup plan.”

“We could always settle in a town for a week or two, see if anyone has some odd jobs for us?” Link suggested helpfully, considering for the first time the possibility that they might not make it straight through to California like they’d originally planned. “I mean, I’d like to be able to just go through to LA, but… I mean, it’s not a lot of money, is it? For the whole trip out there? And then once we get out there, you know?” He hadn’t allowed himself to think of any of these things before now, hadn’t considered the harsh reality yet, not seriously anyway. They had made it exactly two states away from home when it sunk in that he was going to have to basically grow up now, that this wasn’t a decision that he could still play around in, but a true, permanent choice.

In reality, he knew these things before they’d left Buies Creek. He knew them as soon as Rhett mentioned the idea of them leaving the previous night. He also knew it would be worth it, even if it was difficult. Link was ready for the possibilities of the future, the idea of working with his best friend towards a huge goal. It could take them years to get to California, and he’d still not have hesitated to say okay last night. A short stay in a town, working for the money to get them to California, didn’t seem like an issue to him at all.

“Yeah, I mean, I’d be okay with whatever. Working, driving, working, I don’t care. Just as long as we get there, right? But we better keep driving for today at least. We’ve still got enough money to get us by for a few more days.” He patted his pocket, as though the money was in it instead of stuffed in various parts of the car, their bags, and themselves. Link was afraid if something happened to the car or if they lost a bag or if they got mugged and robbed for everything in their wallet, they’d lose everything they had. It was his idea to hide it all over their persons and vehicle, and Rhett agreed it was probably the smartest plan.

As they approached a town called Abernathy, they decided to stop there and stretch their legs. It wasn’t quite dinner time, but Link was starting to grow weary of driving, and Rhett was just a better driver overall anyway. Link had the tendency towards road rage, and it was just easier to let Rhett take over for a few hours. When they arrived at Abernathy and got out of the car, Rhett glanced down at his watch. “Oh. Hmm.” He arched his eyebrows a bit, then looked at Link.

“What’s up, buddy?”

“Our family still won’t know that we’re gone. It’s almost the end of the school day. But this is… like, our last chance. If we turn around now, we’d still be able to give a reasonable explanation as to why we’re a little bit late getting home.” Rhett gave Link one last out, knowing that it was his suggestion to come on the trip, and he didn’t want Link to regret this later.

Link reached out and grabbed Rhett’s hand, lowering the watch from his friend’s view where it had hung in the air as he spoke. “We’re not going back, Rhett. I’m in this with you, man. I’m not looking for a chance to turn around.” He said it so firmly, looking straight into Rhett’s green-gold eyes, that Rhett knew there was no need to ask again. Link really was in this for the long haul, even if it meant giving up his whole world.

They fueled up the tank again, despite the fact that it was still relatively full. It just made Rhett feel secure to know that they weren’t going to run out of gas somewhere. They used this as a chance to buy a new map. Theirs had just cut off, so they grabbed a map of the entire United States, and a smaller regional map to help them find their way more easily. Looking at the map, Rhett realized how far they had come, but also how far they still had to go. With every mile West they went, it became so much less likely that they would ever slip back into their old lives at home, so even less than 24 hours before he had initially asked Link to run away with him, their lives in Buies Creek seemed distant, fleeting, like there had always been something so much bigger stretched out ahead of them. He looked back at the map, realizing he had been studying Link’s face once more for any hint of worry, regret, despite Link’s assurances that he was in this. All he saw was calm, steady assurance and a will to press forward. So far, it looked like staying on I-20 was going to get them most of the way there, at least through the edge of Texas, so they decided to keep their course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much to Ali who helped me out with this chapter by beta reading and catching some of my ridiculous sentences. You can find her fantastic writing on AO3 and content on Tumblr as @rhinkipoo


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their first day on the road almost coming to an end, the boys can't quite decide about the road that lies ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Art for this chapter by EmmaMMG](https://emmammg.tumblr.com/post/163496593209/chapter-3-to-friendship-and-dreams-they). Find her on [Tumblr here](https://emmammg.tumblr.com)!

“I’m telling you, I-22 makes more sense. It’s going to be faster!” Link whined smoothing the map on the dash. Rhett reached behind them to grab the camera from the back, setting it on the dashboard and flicking it on. “Seriously, Rhett? You’re going to film us arguing about which route to take?” Link rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, man, it’s a documentary. You have to show the reality of the situation… good and bad.” Rhett smirked, then continued the discussion on directions. “I-20 is the better choice because it’s a straight shot. We take I-20 all the way across. If we don’t leave I-20, we’re less likely to get lost on the way.”

“I-22 has more small towns along the way, and it goes through Oklahoma. If our families decide to look for us, do you really think they’re going to look in some tiny town in Oklahoma? They’d never find us.”

“Wrong,” Rhett countered. “What’s more suspicious? Two teen boys who show up in a tiny town without adults with them and zero backstory, or two guys who blend into the background in a big city like Dallas where there’s too many people to care?”

“Point taken. I still think I-22 is smarter, though.” Link sighed, conceding the point that they’d be easier found in a small town than a big city.

“I-22 means getting off of I-20, and then back on down the line. Or on another road, I don’t know. I just know the more times we leave the path we’re on, the more likely we are to take a wrong turn and end up in the middle of nowhere.” Rhett continued driving. They were not quite to Birmingham, Alabama, where they’d have to either stay on I-20 or turn off… and Rhett was adamant that they’d be staying on I-20.

They bickered a bit longer, but it became clear pretty quickly that Rhett was right. It didn’t make sense to turn off, and it didn’t make sense to be in a ton of small towns.

“I-20 it is,” Link said, “but maybe we should stop getting gas so much, unless we really need to stretch our legs. It’s taking forever to get there, and we’ve barely gotten under half a tank most of the time.”

Rhett agreed, it was taking them forever. He knew Link didn’t understand his need to stretch his legs as much, he easily had 7 inches on him, but he understood the desire to stop having to pause the trip again and again. The further away they got today, the better. And now, at 3:45, there was no way to turn around and have a reasonable explanation when they got home. _Good,_ Rhett thought. _I don’t want to go back home._

It wasn’t until close to Shreveport, Louisiana that they had to make a stop. For several reasons, they were desperate to stop there. It had been hours since their last break, and Rhett needed to switch places with Link again as the driver. They had eaten their chips on the road, but they took time to eat their sandwiches in the gas station parking lot, stretching their legs for longer than they should have.

“Do y’think we should find a place to sleep here, Rhett?” Link looked at the time, and at 9:30 at night, they’d been on the road for almost 14 hours straight. Link didn’t mind taking over the wheel for the next few hours, but at 14 hours gone, he wondered if they were really even going to press on.

“I think we could make it a little bit further,” Rhett remarked. He didn’t want to stop any sooner than they had to. By his calculations, they could probably make it to LA in 3 days if they pressed ahead full-steam. “I mean, I get it, maybe we can slow down a little tomorrow and take in some sights, but… I don’t know, I really just feel like we need to keep going tonight.”

Link climbed back in the car, this time in the driver’s seat, and Rhett fidgeted with the dial to try to find a radio station they could enjoy. The highway ahead of them had a certain strength about it.

“Our families know we’re gone by now.” Rhett wasn’t sure why he said the words out loud. He wasn’t sure he had even wanted to be thinking them, thinking about how his mom must be worried, and how his dad must be furious. He wondered if they had discovered the fact that all of his basketball gear was in the closet instead of his duffel bag, and he even questioned whether or not they had found out the camera was gone. He figured they probably weren’t missing that, not until the next birthday or Christmas rolled around. Thinking of that made him realize that Christmas wasn’t that far away, and the fact that they’d taken off like this meant that they probably wouldn’t be home for Christmas at all. He decided not to think about holidays right now.

“Yeah, they do. What do you think everyone at school is gonna say when we don’t show up again tomorrow?” It made sense for Link to change the subject back to school, he thought. Link left his mom there alone, after her last marriage failed a few years ago. Link didn’t really have a great home life, not a lot there to speak of. His step-dad wasn’t really around for him after he split, and his dad was nice enough, but lived in another town, making it harder for them to connect. Link wondered if his mom had called his dad to tell him, or if she was waiting until she was sure he was gone instead of just staying over at a friend’s, having forgotten to tell her. He wondered if Rhett’s family would call and confirm that he wasn’t gone for the night, but actually gone, and that made his heart ache for his mom. It was so much easier to talk about what everyone at school would say, so he did.

“I don’t know, man. I mean, probably the obvious stuff.” Both of them quieted, not really wanting to talk about home, and neither of them knowing for sure why they brought it up in the quiet anyway. Rhett reached and turned the music louder, not because it was a good station or song, but because it meant they weren’t thinking about the people they’d hurt in the wake of their decision.

It wasn’t until after midnight that they reached Dallas, and both boys were ready for the day to be over.

“Let’s just find a Walmart. No one’s going to notice if we’re in the parking lot all night if they’re always open. We can crash in the car,” Rhett suggested.

“Okay, Walmart it is.” It didn’t take them long to find one in Dallas, so they parked at the back of the lot, near where most of the larger semi trucks were parked. It made sense to blend in with all the others who stayed there overnight.

“This is like… our first night kind of on our own, man. We’re out here, middle of Dallas, just the two of us. It’s crazy to think about.” Rhett pondered into the darkness as they both sat on the hood of the car, a bit too antsy to go to bed. “I have an idea.” Rhett started towards the Walmart, and heard Link call after him. “I’ll be right back, Neal!” he yelled back towards the car.

Rhett returned about ten minutes later, producing two bottles of cheap beer.

“Whoa, how’d you get that? You got a fake ID I don’t know about?” Link’s eyes were wide as he took one of the bottles from his friend’s hand.

“They didn’t ask me. I didn’t tell them.” Rhett stated very simply.

“Must be because you’re so tall…” Link decided not to question it too much as he uncapped his beer, watching Rhett do the same. “We should toast to something.”

“How about to lifelong friendship, and to dreams?” Rhett suggested.

[“To friendship and dreams.” They clinked their bottles together, and started to drink. Link didn’t particularly care for beer, finding the smell a bit off-putting, but the significance wasn’t lost on him. Still teens, they were far from home and had no intention of going back. For all intents and purposes, this was their first night of adulthood. Sure, they hadn’t reached 21 or even 18, hadn’t graduated high school yet or anything like that, and now he doubted they ever would. But they were on their own, on a wild adventure, and that signified something big.](https://emmammg.tumblr.com/post/163496593209/chapter-3-to-friendship-and-dreams-they)

“Dammit, man, we should have filmed that!” Rhett exclaimed, exasperated.

“We can’t film that! We literally just broke the law.” Link chuckled, considering the thought. It would have made a nice moment, their symbolic entrance into adulthood, but if it could come back and bite them in the ass, it’s probably best that it wasn’t caught on tape. “We don’t need video evidence of that, man.”

Link pondered their financial situation, something that was always at the forefront of his mind. Rhett’s impulsive purchase was minor compared to what a hotel room would cost, so it was quickly forgiven by the usually thrifty Link. He could easily see the significance of the beers, making them solidly worth the money. After all, it was their first night on the road. If they didn’t make it a habit, they’d be just fine on money all the way to California. Once they got there, well, that was something they’d figure out then.

The boys arranged themselves in the car after polishing off their drinks, reclining the seats all the way back. It wasn’t comfortable by any means, but it would have to work. Hotels were simply too expensive for their current budget. Link grabbed the camera. “Hey, Rhett, you comfortable?”

Rhett let out a low groan, shifting against the makeshift pillow of rolled up clothing, covering himself in tee shirts. Neither of them had room in their bags to pack a pillow or blanket, so their clothing had to work for now.

“I’ll take that as a solid ‘no,’” Link laughed into the camera, “Guess I better make myself comfortable, too.” Link winked at the camera, then laid his head back on the rolled up tee shirt he’d pulled out. He switched the camera off and set it beside him. Even in their uncomfortable seats, it didn’t take either boy long to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to @rhinkipoo, who was awesome enough to beta read this chapter for me and give me some feedback!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sudden setback leaves the boys at each others' throats.

“Hey… Rhett, man, you awake yet?” Link whispered towards the front seat. He seriously needed to go inside and relieve himself, but he definitely didn’t want Rhett to freak out if he woke up to an empty car. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  _ Maybe we should splurge on a hotel room…  _ his mind let the thought go there, then he immediately pushed it aside. He knew they didn’t have the money for that, but after sleeping in the car, he couldn’t help it. His body could feel every bit of those seats and how they differed from his mattress back home.

Only a minute or two later, he started to hear Rhett stir, too. He grabbed the camera and hit the on-switch.

“Morning sleepyhead,” he remarked to Rhett as Rhett rubbed his eyes and blinked, adjusting to the sunlight filling the car. Rhett let out an unintelligible grumble, putting his hand over the lens, clearly unimpressed with Link’s desire to film first thing in the morning. Link moved the camera, shaking his hand off. “Uh, no. You said we had to film the good, the bad, and the ugly, and… well, you don’t look so great in the mornings, brother!” He let out a laugh, catching Rhett’s glare on film before he turned it off and set it in the floor.

The boys took a few minutes to go inside the Walmart but agreed not to shop for anything. They still had cereal and peanut butter, so they were going to freshen up and get back on the road as soon as possible. At 9:30, Rhett feared they were already losing time in their day, though he wasn’t sure why he worried. They weren’t exactly headed to some big appointment… the only thing that expected them to be headed anywhere was their own passion for moving forward, and the road that was waiting for them.

As they pulled back on the highway, they didn’t even think about the fact that they had forgotten, after a day of being so careful, to fill up the gas tank.

It wasn’t until an hour later when they were in the middle of nowhere and the car was sputtering out of gas that they remembered. They’d been so wrapped up in making plans for what they’d do in California that neither of them had noticed the gas light tick on, and now that they were nowhere near a gas station, they were stuck. Rhett coasted the car to the side of the road, then turned it off. He slammed his hands on the steering wheel. “Out of gas? Seriously? How are we out of gas?”

Link tried to remember the last time they’d filled up. He couldn’t. Crap.

“What do we freakin’ do, man?!” Link shouted at Rhett. He wasn’t sure why he was shouting. It was no more Rhett’s fault than it was his own. They’d both forgotten gas leaving town, they’d both missed the gas light coming on, and they’d both failed to remember to stop for gas anywhere in between Dallas and here. Wherever the hell here was.

Rhett opened the door and took the keys out of the car. “We’re gonna have to walk, Neal. Grab the camera?” He blinked into the warm Texas sunlight. It was fall, sure, and it was still mostly early in the day, but he could still feel the Texas heat creeping against his back. This wasn’t ideal, not even a little bit.

“Really? We’re going to film this, too? We’re gonna film our stupidity, forgetting to fill up the dang tank?” Link was furious. The last thing he wanted was to put this in their documentary, let the whole world know they were freakin’ idiots who forgot to get gas.

“Hand me the dang camera, then, if you’re not gonna film it!” Rhett shouted back at Link, his own frustrations bubbling to the surface. “Don’t be a baby. I don’t want to walk this any more than you do, don’t want to be out here in the sun, but we are, and we have to, so just shut up!”

Link’s eyes prickled with tears. His best friend didn’t usually talk to him like that, and he felt humiliated and frustrated. He tried to choke back the tears, but a traitorous one spilled down his cheek.

“Hey, hey, man, I didn’t mean to…” Rhett trailed off, moving to walk backward in front of his friend. “I wasn’t trying to upset you, man. I’m just really frustrated about this, too.” Rhett didn’t turn on the camera. With Link this upset, it just felt like an invasion of privacy, and not raw in the way that documentaries should be.

“Just… Jeez, Rhett, just don’t be a jackass right now, okay?”

They walked in silence for about 5 minutes before they saw a sign that said “Ranger, 6 miles.” They were just outside of a town, apparently, but it could take awhile to walk that many miles, and the thought of carrying a heavy gas can the full 6 miles back made them both frustrated.

Rhett finally turned the camera on, after some consideration. “Hey, Link, what’s happening, man?”

“We’re out of gas. We’re 6 miles from the nearest town. It’s hot in Texas, even in the fall. We’re miserable. What else can I say?” As Link spoke to the camera, Rhett got a smirk on his face. “Rhett, what are you smiling about?”

“I have an idea. Let’s race.”

“What?” Link’s eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

“Let’s. Race. 3-2-1 GO!” Rhett said quickly, then took off, camera shaking as he ran. Link tried to catch up, and despite his shorter legs, managed to keep up pretty well. He was in better shape than Rhett, it seemed, his time on the soccer field paying off.

Both boys made it a solid mile before slowing. Link bent forward, putting his hands on his knees, his back rising and falling with each inhale and exhale. Rhett stood next to him, panting.

“Careful with the camera, Rhett!” Link reminded his friend, who remembered he was holding it and lifted it to continue filming.

“What do you think that was, one mile down, five more to go?” He panted into the camera, which was pointed at himself now. Link was still catching his breath in the background of the shot. They both laughed, and Link winced, grabbing his side.

“Oh, crap, I’m crampin’ up, man!” Link exclaimed, just before Rhett switched the camera off. They continued walking, much slower now, allowing themselves time to catch their breath. At this rate, it would take them at least a couple of hours to get to Ranger.

“I’m starting to wonder if this was worth it.” Link meant to say it in jest, but it came out sounding far harsher. “Sorry… I didn’t mean it like that. I just, if we were home, we’d be in class, and the worst thing that would be happening right now is getting assigned some homework that we didn’t want to do. Here, we’re walking 6 miles for some dang gas because we were too stupid to make sure the car was fueled up.” Link sighed, frustrated.

“I know. It’s lame, and I’m annoyed, too. But seriously, you’d trade this bump in the road for like… everything we’re gonna do when we get to California? Home was easier but was it really even livin’, man?” Rhett tried to encourage his best friend, remind Link why they were taking this journey in the first place.

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s worth it. I still miss my mom, though.” Link spoke the words into the air, releasing for the first time the fact that leaving his mom was the hardest part of all of this.

“I know.” Rhett knew before he said it, obviously. He missed his mom, too, but that couldn’t compare to how Link felt, knowing his mom was back home alone.

They talked about how they missed home and they talked about the things they wanted to do when they got to California. They made a promise to stop for gas more often along the way, like they had the day before, because they never wanted to walk this far for gas again. And before they knew it, two hours had passed, and they were standing in front of the first gas station they’d seen.

Rhett went in to buy the gas canister that they’d fill up outside. Once he got inside, he saw a small display of postcards, some dancing cactus figurines, and a pack of Link’s favorite flavor of gum. Alongside the gas canister, he paid for one of each. He hoped Link wouldn’t mind the expense, now that they were essentially pooling their money together, but he really wanted to give Link a little gift to let him know that he was happy they were doing this.

Back outside, Rhett filled the canister as full as he could, hoping it wouldn’t be too heavy for them to carry back the 6 miles. Link wandered inside to get a new map since their regional map would cut off soon. Inside, he saw the same rack of postcards, the dancing cactus figures, and cans of Mello Yello. He bought the map, and the other items, and put them in his cargo shorts. He worried to himself about the money they had left, but decided reconciling with Rhett about their earlier argument was worth the expense.

The boys started their journey back to the car. Link filmed while Rhett carried the gas canister as far as he could. At around 40 pounds, it was clear they’d have to trade off carrying it every once in awhile. It made the journey much slower, the weight of it, but they managed to reach the car just before 3:00. It was ridiculous… most of the day was wasted, and they’d only traveled an hour from where they’d started. As Rhett filled up the gas tank, Link stretched from the walk.

“Hey, Rhett? Before you get in the car, I… uh… well, I got you something back there.” Link set the can of Mello Yello, the dancing cactus, and the postcard on the trunk of the car. Rhett let out a roaring laugh, and Link was confused.

“Man, are you being serious right now?”

Link felt embarrassed, his cheeks turning bright red as he looked down at the ground.

“I was just tryin’ to say I’m sorry about earlier. Just forget it, man,” Link said as he started to turn and walk away. Rhett grabbed his arm.

“Link,” Rhett said quietly. Link turned and looked towards Rhett, his eyes landing instead on the trunk, where a second dancing cactus, a postcard, and his favorite gum had appeared.

“Rhett, really?” Link’s eyes grew wide, and he started to laugh, also.

“Really. I wanted to say I’m sorry, man. Now, let’s get this car to Ranger and fill ‘er the rest of the way.” The gas canister only held a small amount of fuel, just a few gallons, which would get them to Ranger to top it off so they could set out on the wide open road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to rhinkipoo and shewasjustagirl/clemwasjustagirl for being sweet enough to beta read and edit this chapter for me! <3 <3 <3


	5. Chapter 5

_ This was such a good decision _ , Rhett thought as he spread the blanket out across the grass at the park. He wasn’t sure what had possessed the typically money-cautious Link to suggest they go buy some affordable blankets and pillows, but he knew it was wonderful. He wasn’t sure he could take another night of sleeping with a rolled-up tee shirt as a pillow, not after the long walk for gas earlier, and a pillow just seemed like one of those basic comforts.

A splurge didn’t mean they weren’t being careful. On the way to Walmart, they talked about their game plan -- get in, get whatever they could for $30, and get back out again. Luckily, the pillows weren’t too expensive, and neither were the blankets. It left them just enough money for a loaf of bread to go along with the peanut butter Rhett had brought, and for some canned ravioli and tuna. They wished they had access to a microwave so they could enjoy something like ramen noodles, but they were making the best of what they did have and stocked up accordingly. At the checkout, they had come up just under $30, which Link considered to be a win.

Link settled into the blanket, spreading peanut butter on the bread they’d bought. Both of them decided that they’d limit themselves to two peanut butter sandwiches and save the canned stuff for later. They were hungry, growing boys, but they also didn’t want to waste their food supply. As Rhett felt the peanut butter stick on the roof of his mouth, he thought about what they’d be having for dinner at home. He knew for sure that if he were back in North Carolina, he’d be washing his dinner down with milk. Here, he had lukewarm water he had filled his water bottle with back at Walmart. 

He had just turned 17, which meant that 18 was still almost a year away for him, but maybe they’d find someone sympathetic to rent an apartment to them before then. He was excited about the idea, the thought of he and Link in their very own bachelor pad, hanging out, writing music together and making movies. They’d probably end up eating dinner together there, too, and he knew he’d be washing it down with milk as soon as they could afford that.

“Hey, Link, what’s on the menu tonight?” Rhett peered through the viewfinder on the camera as Link was starting on his second sandwich.

“Mrghhmmm…. Peanut butter!” Link mumbled contentedly. “Thanks for bringing this along, buddy. You know I couldn’t live without some PB!”

Rhett set the camera between them, allowing it to focus somewhere near their knees, aiming for what he hoped was an artistic shot of them enjoying their picnic, grass swaying in the breeze, Link’s fingers tugging at the blankets as he fidgeted, like he always did.

The boys had been in the car for so long the day before, and then walked so far for gas earlier that day, that they soon stretched out on the blanket as far as possible, leaning back on the ground and staring up at the perfectly puffy clouds above them. Rhett turned off the camera to save the battery, then positioned his limbs so every one of them was reaching as far out as possible, something he couldn’t do in the Dynasty. It felt amazing, freeing. The boys didn’t realize how exhausted they were until they were jolted awake by a shake on their shoulders.

“Hey, boys, you two okay?” The man spoke gruffly.

“Oh! Gosh, sorry, we were eating dinner and then just kind of… dozed off after… sorry.” Link mumbled, trying to regain his composure. His eyes blinked as he adjusted to the dimming sun outside, orienting himself upright, trying to file through his brain for where exactly they were.

“Well, the park here closes at dark, and… it’s pretty darn close to dark. Do y’think maybe you want to find your way back to your car now?” Link spied the badge on the man’s uniform and realized that he had better listen.

“Yeah, we’ll pack up and get out of here right away, Officer. We’re sorry for the trouble.” Rhett was quickly gathering the food up in the blanket and slinging it over his shoulder.  _ How was Rhett so awake right now?  _ Link wondered. Of course, Rhett was always quicker to wake up than Link. It always took Link much longer to wake, so his mind usually felt a little foggy when he woke up. It was a good thing that Rhett was easier to wake, because Link was pretty much useless at doing anything but walking right now, and even that was a little bit questionable.

“Say, you boys look awfully young. Do you live around here? I’d be happy to drive you home if you need.” The man’s words implied kindness, but his tone of voice seemed almost challenging, like he was insisting on following them home. And since home was all the way back in North Carolina, well, what were they going to say?

“We’re close enough. We’ll head home now. Thanks, officer. Just wanted to spend the afternoon at the park after school and must have been tired from practice…” Rhett tried to think of a good story, hopefully making sure the man didn’t realize they weren’t from here. He simply smiled and told them to get home safely.

Home felt like such a strange concept, so distant. But it didn’t matter, it was all just a cover story. They made their way back to the car, feeling flustered and jittery.

“Do you want to find our way back to the Walmart and set up camp in the car there?” Rhett asked Link, not quite feeling like sleeping after their wake-up call.

“I’m not really that tired anymore, man…” Link figured they had gotten 4 or 5 hours of sleep at the park after they’d finished their sandwiches, a pretty solid nap. Rhett felt similarly, so they decided to jump back on I-20. Within hours, it faded into I-10, and I-10 led them to El Paso.

“We should really come up with a better back-story, Link,” Rhett spoke for the first time about half an hour into their journey. Still drowsy, Link hadn’t been fully ready for conversation during the first few minutes on the road, and Rhett had kept quiet. While the officer had been the first one to question why two young boys, just teenagers, were falling asleep during a picnic, Rhett knew it wouldn’t be long before other people started asking questions, too. And soon they’d be in California, trying to find work, and there’d definitely be questions then.

“A back-story? Hmm… I guess we can’t just tell people ‘hey, we ran away and now we’re trying to figure out what the hell we’re actually doing,’ can we?” Link tried to come up with something.

“We could say we got kicked out?”

“Couldn’t our parents get in trouble if we say that? Like if someone sends us back home and think they let us leave?” Link furrowed his brow at the thought.

“I guess so. Maybe we got emancipated or whatever? Like, where you go to court and become an adult legally?”

“That sounds complicated, and we don’t have any proof or anything…”

“Link, do you have a better idea, man? You’re just shooting down all of mine!” Rhett was annoyed, but it was true that his backstories weren’t all that great.

“We could try to figure out where to get fake IDs? Lie about our age?” Link suggested.

“Man, the time to do that was back home when we actually  _ knew  _ who made fake IDs. How are we gonna find someone out here that makes ‘em?” Rhett mentally kicked himself for not asking Cole to hook him up when he’d gotten his own. It would have made things easier.

They eased in and out of the conversation for hours, leaving it and returning to it again and again on the long journey.

“I guess for now we just have to hope no one else asks us. I mean, we can’t make up anything ridiculous like that we’re spies or rock stars or something. We’ve got to find a story that’s close enough to the truth that it won’t ruffle any feathers if we’re asked. You’re tall enough, maybe people just won’t ask.” Link sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was not going to be as easy as it seemed when they were talking back under the tree in Link’s front yard. Well… Link’s mom’s front yard. Link figured that he couldn’t call it his if he didn’t live there anymore.

“Our map is about to cut off again,” Link noted, ready to shelf their other conversation. He swapped the regional map for the US map to figure out what came next. “We could stop here for the night, or we could continue another hour to Las Cruces…”

“We’re probably due for gas,” Rhett looked and saw that they were at about half a tank. It was more than enough to get them another hour, sure, but they didn’t want to take any more chances after having to walk six miles for gas. But Rhett wasn’t sure that he wanted to make their third gas stop of the night. Why stretch their legs when they could just go to sleep and try again tomorrow? When none of the stations were open, they settled into the nearest 24-hour store’s parking lot and Rhett almost instantly drifted asleep. Link, who could usually fall asleep quicker, struggled.

 

_ What if we don’t make it? _

_ What if our families find out where we are? _

_ What if they make us go back home? _

_ They’ll never let us see each other again. _

__

Link had previously considered how his mom must have felt about him being gone, had considered the ramifications with school and how his girlfriend was probably going to feel that he’d left without telling her anything, but he felt like he’d been punched in the stomach when he realized the biggest fear he had about this trip. It was clear: if their parents found them, Link was absolutely certain they’d keep Rhett and Link apart. The thought of losing his best friend made him start to panic, anxiety creeping into the depths of his brain. He opened the car door, desperate to get air. As soon as he tried to stand, he crumpled to the ground outside of the car in a mess of tears.

“Link, what’s going on?” He wasn’t sure if it was the door opening or the sound of Link sobbing, but suddenly Rhett was awake. Link tried to choke out words, but nothing coherent came out of his mouth. Rhett jumped out of the car, ran around and dropped to his knees beside his friend. “Link, shhh, talk to me, okay, bo? What’s wrong?” He rested his hand on Link’s back, then took Link’s hand and pressed it to his chest so Link could feel him taking slow, deep breaths in hopes that it would encourage Link to do the same.

Link’s breath stilled within a few minutes, but his cheeks were still streaked with tears.

“Rhett, what happens if we don’t make it to California? Or if we run out of money and have to call home? Or somehow this doesn’t work out?”

“It’s gonna work out.”

“But what if it doesn’t?” Link was wide-eyed with worry.

“Link. No one, nothing, is ever gonna keep me from my best friend. Okay?” Rhett had somehow understood the words that Link couldn’t speak into the air between them. They’d been friends long enough that sometimes it was hard to remember where one of their minds ended and the other began. It’s part of what was so funny about the gifts they’d bought each other after the argument. They bought almost the same items because, well, of course they did. Their shared history and now their shared future were too entwined for them not to.

As Rhett encouraged Link back into the car, both of them calmer now, Link curled up under his blanket, staring at the pair of dancing cacti they’d bought each other. Their ridiculous little waddle made Link feel better, made him think about the pair he and Rhett made, the way he was so lucky to have such an incredible best friend. It didn’t take him long to doze off, watching the silly cacti they’d placed on the dash wobble and rock his mind to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so many thanks to clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for reading and editing this a MILLION times and helping me make it sound less clunky when the characters were refusing to speak to me. So many thanks also to Rhinkipoo for helping me get un-stuck and loosen up the dialogue a lot in the middle, because it would have been an awful chapter without her help. Love you both!


	6. Chapter 6

The warm sun beat down from directly overhead as Rhett filled up the car with gas. While the fall temperature couldn’t have been that much warmer than it was in North Carolina, it felt like it was so much hotter in the midday sun. He couldn’t believe that he and Link had slept until after noon in the Walmart parking lot they’d found in El Paso. It made sense, sure. It had been a late night for them both. Link stood on his tiptoes beside the car, flexing his calves and bouncing up and down. He was itching to get back on the road, so their stop didn’t last long before they were back in the car.

Link turned the camera on, setting it on the dashboard to face them. They’d gotten some great footage of the world around them, but now he wanted the focus to be on them. He spread some peanut butter on a piece of bread, then sprinkled on a handful of cereal on top. He slapped another peanut-butter-slathered slice and handed it to Rhett. “Here you go, man. Peanut butter and cereal sandwich. Thought I’d shake it up from last night’s picnic for our breakfast… lunch! Whatever it is.” Rhett took a large bite, tucking a quarter of the sandwich into his cheek in one fluid movement.

“Hey, buddy, this isn’t half bad! I’m diggin’ it.” Rhett’s voice was muffled as he tried to eat and drive at the same time. “Wish we had some real food, though.”

“I know, bo. I’d pretty much kill for a cheeseburger. You know, those ones that are super thick and juicy and have lettuce on them… but no tomato. Definitely no tomato. Lots of cheddar, though.” Link groaned at the thought of actual food, something more than peanut butter. He knew after yesterday’s pillow and blanket splurge they should probably be careful with their money, but he was struggling with the idea of surviving on not much more than peanut butter and canned ravioli.

The two continued on in silence as they polished off a couple of sandwiches each, navigating their way past the New Mexico border into Las Cruces. “Should we stop and get gas here?”

“Link, we literally just got gas an hour ago.”

“We’re heading into the middle of nowhere. If you don’t stop, and we run out, you’re on your own this time. I’m not walking like that again!” Link squinted at the map, trying to find any small town that might fall between Las Cruces and Tucson. There wasn’t much there, and even in the mild fall temperatures, he did not feel like walking for hours again.

“Fine,” Rhett pulled off of I-10 and onto a service road, stopping the car at the first gas station he saw. “We’ll get gas here. I don’t want to walk either.”

They switched seats in Las Cruces, Rhett exhausted from doing the bulk of the driving since they started their journey. They had been taking turns, but they often found themselves falling into a routine of Rhett driving and Link navigating. Rhett needed the break. He settled into the passenger seat and rummaged around in the backseat. It was mid-afternoon, and their peanut-butter-and-cereal sandwiches were already wearing off. He secured two cans of ravioli in his large hand, pulling them to the front seat. “Hey, bo? Did you happen to remember to bring a can opener with you?”

“No… why?”

Rhett crinkled his nose with frustration. They could have shared a large blanket instead of buying two small ones, and then they would have had money for a hand-held can opener. Or they could have been a little looser with the budget, given themselves a few extra bucks. But no, now they had cans and no way to open them. “We can’t eat our canned stuff, man!” The last thing Rhett wanted right now was another peanut butter sandwich.

Link pulled off the road onto the shoulder, throwing the car into park suddenly.

“What the heck are you doing?” Rhett couldn’t read Link for once, didn’t know what was going through his head.

“Wait here.” Link leaped out of the car, slamming the door behind him, not out of anger but out of sheer motivation. Rhett peered out the car, wondering what Link could possibly be bent over looking for. Link’s hands shuffled through the dirt, the crispy brown grass, when he finally found what he was after. He stood up and ran back to the car, yanking Rhett’s door open. He took the can out of Rhett’s hand, set it on the ground, and knelt down beside it.

Within minutes, Link had managed to open the can, bashing the lid with a sharp rock until it gave way to the goods inside. He passed the can to Rhett, then made quick work of the second can as Rhett slurped down the contents of the first. They had forgotten utensils, also, but that didn’t seem to matter. Link downed his can beside the car, put both cans in the trunk of the car to toss later, and then returned to his seat. “Better?”

“Better.” Rhett smiled, content now, and Link returned to the highway. Time seemed to go quickly as they chatted through the state of New Mexico, stopping whenever they saw a town to stretch their legs and fuel up. When they pulled into Phoenix that evening, they were restless, sitting on the trunk of the car to watch the sun go down.

“I’m still thinkin’ of that cheeseburger, man.” Link’s stomach growled as he hopped off of the trunk and opened the back door of the car. He rummaged around for the tuna, legs stretching against the concrete parking lot as his torso leaned halfway across the seats. He wondered why he hadn’t saved the rock they’d used to open the ravioli and gave up on finding the tuna without a way to open it, picking up the last of the box of cereal instead. There wasn’t much left, but if they were careful, they’d manage just fine.

“Hey, Link? We haven’t stopped at any restaurants at all and we’re almost to California. We haven’t even gone to like… McDonalds or anything, man. Let’s just do it. Let’s go get a burger. Like, a real one, not a fast food one. We can be super careful with money the rest of the way, please, just let us get some real food.”

Link turned the suggestion over in his head, mentally considering how much money they had left. They’d been so careful, and none of their frequent gas stops cost too terribly much, but who knew how long they’d be in California before finding work? The idea of melted cheese and a toasted bun invaded his thoughts, though, and before he knew it, he and Rhett were pulling up in front of a diner. Positioned between a gas station and a motel, it wasn’t too far from the highway, and they figured it would be a good place to get some dinner. If they ate quickly, they might even be able to make it to Los Angeles by the early morning hours. It couldn’t be more than six hours away if Link had been reading the map correctly.

Rhett pulled out a couple of twenty dollar bills from the stack, and Link’s eyes widened. Rhett clapped his hand onto Link’s shoulder to calm him. “Hey, man, we probably won’t use this much, but I don’t want to come back out here and have to grab more if we don’t have quite enough. We’ll be careful, okay?” When they eyeballed the menu, though, they realized just how hungry they really were.

“How much money do you think we have left, Rhett?” Link whispered to his dining companion. He had no idea how much rent would cost for an apartment in California, or how much gas might cost the rest of the way, or how long they’d be waiting to find a job. All he cared about right now was his stomach, and how everything on the menu just looked so good. They hadn’t had a real meal since they started their journey almost a week ago.  _ Had it really been that long?  _ Link had never been gone so long outside of things like summer camp, times when his mom knew he’d be gone. He mentally tried to figure out what the date was, but Rhett interrupted his thoughts.

“Link, let’s just eat and not worry too much. Remember, we’ll find odd jobs if we have to.” The waitress approached the table with a friendly smile.

“Well, aren’t you two boys looking awfully hungry? What can I get you to drink?” Rhett went for a Dr. Pepper, and in the absence of Mello Yello, Link opted for Hawaiian Punch. The waitress raised an eyebrow but shuffled away to get their drinks as the boys continued to stare down their menus, taking in every possible option.

“Hey, you want to split some chicken strips? If we each got one of these burger meals and then split some chicken, we’d get a lot of food and we’d still be a little under budget.” Rhett was trying to balance his hunger with Link’s mindfulness towards the remaining money they had, and he was thrilled when Link gave in. As the waitress brought their food to the table and helped them to their third refill of their drinks, she let out a little sigh.

“Boys, you are far too polite and your accents far too thick for you to be from around here. Talk to Mama Cheryl. What are you doing all the way in Arizona?” Her brow wrinkled with concern.

Link swallowed nervously. They’d forgotten to return to their conversation about their backstories, and now they were faced with telling someone who clearly knew they weren’t from here. In Texas, they could still sort of get away with the southern drawl they both shared, even if their North Carolina accent was a little bit different, but the closer they got to the West Coast, the less they fit in.

“We… we’re goin’ to California, ma’am.” Rhett sighed, releasing the truth into the air. “We are just passin’ through and needed a bite to eat.”

“How old are you boys?” Mama Cheryl wasn’t letting Rhett off the hook with the part of the truth he’d shared. “You can’t be more than 17, 18?”

“No, ma’am, we’re not more than 17. We are going out to California for work.” Rhett’s eyes were pleading her not to ask any more questions, and somehow, she smiled and walked away.

“Do you think she’s gone to like, call the cops or somethin’, Rhett?” Link couldn’t imagine she’d just stop asking questions after finding out how young they were, and he was afraid if she called the cops, then their journey would be over. Before Rhett could answer, she returned with a key, setting it on the table.

“Now, you two clearly haven’t had more than a sponge bath in days, have you?” The boys shook their heads, wondering how badly they must have smelled for her to notice. “This is a key to a room at the motel next door. But it doesn’t come free, you hear me? My dishwasher is out for a few days, family stuff. My back is breaking trying to wait the tables and do the dishes, and I need a little bit of help. You can stay at the hotel for a couple of days, but you need to be here at 10 tomorrow to help clean up the morning dishes. You work, you stay, but as soon as my dishwasher is back, you’re on your way, okay? And I don’t want to know any more information about where you’re from or who you are because I do not want to get mixed up in anything if anyone comes looking for you.”

As Link bit into his cheeseburger, the cheese pulled, leaving a long string between him and the burger itself. He couldn’t hold back his smile, even with his mouth full. They were going to sleep in actual beds tonight! He couldn’t believe their luck, and couldn’t imagine the fact that they had almost decided to find a rock to open a can of tuna, but here they were, eating burgers, chicken, and french fries, and actually going to sleep in real beds with real sheets and pillows and mattresses! The boys finished their meals, but Mama Cheryl refused to let them pay the bill. “This one’s on me. You can always buy your breakfast here tomorrow if you’d like. Go get some rest, get cleaned up, and I’ll see you at 10.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Link said, eager to get to their motel room. He was so eager for a real bed, in fact, that when they opened the door to find only one bed, he wasn’t even disconcerted. “I call dibs on first shower!” Link cried, knowing Rhett’s preference for morning showers meant it wouldn’t be an issue.

By the time he finished washing days of dirt from his pores in the first proper shower he’d had since North Carolina, Rhett was sound asleep on the bed, sprawled out everywhere. Link carefully shoved Rhett’s leg and arm onto his half of the bed, turned out the light, and was asleep within minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @Rhinkipoo and @shewasjustagirl/clemwasjustagirl for beta reading and editing this chapter. What would I have done without them? <3


	7. Chapter 7

When Rhett woke with Link’s limbs wrapped around him and his mouth breathing his near-toxic morning breath right into Rhett’s face, he was surprised not to feel absolute annoyance. Typically, he’d shove Link and get mad. That’s what he’d done after what seemed like hundreds of nights spent at each other's houses as kids. Honestly, though, he had just been so happy to sleep in a real bed that nothing, even Link being a sloppy sleeper, could get him down. He carefully curled his body out from under Link’s arm and leg, then checked the clock. They didn’t have to be at the diner for another two hours, which gave him plenty of time to take a shower.

The hot water ran down his torso. No shower head was tall enough to reach his head, so he’d have to duck to wash his hair, which was starting to grow out from the buzz cut Link had given him weeks before they’d left home. He thought about the events from the night before as the water washed over him.  _ Why had Cheryl… Mama Cheryl, as she’d introduced herself… taken pity on us? Did we really look and smell that bad? Was it just some incredible coincidence that her dishwasher was away for a few days?  _ Rhett marveled at their complete luck and the kindness Cheryl had bestowed on them. Even if it didn’t last long, it was something incredible. Rhett would have been happy for even just that one night at the motel, and he owed Cheryl so much more than just a day of doing the dishes.

After his shower, he rummaged around for something clean to wear. He and Link were both running out of clean clothes, it seemed. If they really were going to be here for a few days, then they should probably ask Cheryl for the directions to the local laundromat. Maybe there would be a 24-hour one and they could do their clothes after work. Rhett really wasn’t sure how late they’d be working, just that they’d be washing dishes.

“Link, bo, gotta get up now.” Link moved his arm, letting out a small groan. His eyes didn’t open. “Dammit, Link, why are you so hard to wake up?” Rhett’s words sounded harsh, but his tone of voice was light-hearted. He had known this would happen, and that’s why he was waking Link up nearly an hour before they needed to be at the diner. Within about 20 minutes, Link was awake and dressed. It didn’t take them long to walk across the parking lot, so they arrived at work far earlier than Mama Cheryl had asked them to be there.

“Hi, Mama Cheryl. Thank you so much for letting us stay in the motel last night. What do you want us to get started on first?” Rhett rubbed his hands together, looking around the diner. He couldn’t convey his thanks enough, endlessly grateful not to have slept in the car again last night.

“First, boys, breakfast.” Mama Cheryl patted the diner counter in front of her. “I am not going to have two hungry, grumpy boys arguing in the back, so you’re both gonna sit here and eat.” She hollered into the back asking for whatever was left from the morning rush. “We make pretty much everything fresh, but the stuff that we sell a lot of, we prep in advance in large batches throughout the morning, like scrambled eggs. You all are gonna get whatever is left, okay? Whatever you don’t like, just leave on your plate.” Within minutes, two large plates of food had appeared. Biscuits and gravy, bacon, scrambled eggs, and sausage sat on the counter in front of them. Rhett’s mouth watered at the sight, and Link’s eyes were wide. Rhett elbowed Link, and they exchanged excited looks, shocked by the amount of food they were served. Between them, Mama Cheryl set a plate with a small stack of pancakes on it. “You’ll have to share that plate. We don’t prep the pancakes early, but someone just changed their mind on these as I was taking them out. Now eat up, the dishes are really piling up back there and I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed when you see them!”

Rhett hadn’t realized how hungry he was, hadn’t expected to be quite that hungry after their large meal that night, but after days of peanut butter sandwiches and cereal, real food just tasted  _ so good _ . Link must have agreed, because he had shoveled in his food in just as quickly. The boys devoured everything on their plates within minutes. They’d only been at the diner for about 30 minutes and they’d already eaten and been sent back to the sinks.

“I’ll scrape. You wash.” Rhett willingly took on the gross part of the job, offering to scrape the extra food into the trash so Link wouldn’t have to. They fell into a steady rhythm quickly, Rhett scraping the uneaten portions of meals into the trash, Link washing the plates, and every time they’d get through a stack, the pair rinsing and drying them together. As they worked, they spent long stretches in silence, just like they’d done in the car. Sometimes, though, they’d let chatter fill the air.

“Hey, Rhett, not to get too down about home or anything, but what do you think we’d be doing if we were there right now?” It was the first time Link had mentioned home without feeling that telltale pang of guilt, homesickness, and sadness.

Rhett smirked. “I don’t know, man. We’d be in school, wouldn’t we? Maybe after, we’d drive down to the golf course, walk out to the rocks, talk for a while.” 

Rhett allowed himself to think of home, something he’d been trying not to do too much, but when he did, most of his thoughts revolved around the things he and Link would do together. Between classes, sure, they’d each hang out with their respective girlfriends, Rhett would maybe get in trouble for PDA if any of the teachers caught him sliding his hand up the back of Heather’s shirt while he kissed her. But they’d sit together at lunch, the four of them, and after school, the boys would go to practice.

What they did outside of practice, games, and double dates, though, usually involved just the two of them. When it was warm enough, they occupied their time with trips to the Cape Fear river, taking a dip in their own private swimming spot they’d found. When it was too cold to swim, they’d go through a pasture to a pair of large rocks, sit on them, and talk for hours until it was dark and they’d have to go home. As kids, they’d found abandoned houses and played inside of them, running through the rooms and peeking in the cabinets, holding silly little meetings. They liked to think they had grown out of it once they hit high school, but Rhett could distinctly remember a handful of times in the last couple of years they’d visited their favorite houses in the woods.

Sure, there were things Rhett would do without Link. Dinner with his family, work during the summers and on weekends. He and Link had different jobs for the most part. But so many of his memories of home were wrapped up in their friendship, and those were the memories that bubbled to the surface first.

The two continued their loop of conversation, then silence, then more conversation as they finished the breakfast dishes and rolled on to the lunch dishes. They’d fallen into such an easy routine that they startled every time one of the busboys brought back another bin of dishes. It felt like no time at all before Mama Cheryl told them to wrap it up and have some dinner.

“Rick made too many chicken strips for the dinner crowd, so that’s what’s for dinner tonight, boys. I’d let you order anything you wanted, but I’ve really got to get rid of these so they don’t go to waste.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Really. We’re just so thankful for anything.” Rhett meant it, too. He knew that, logically, if they hadn’t stopped last night they’d be in LA right now. But what would that have gotten them? They’d still be sleeping in the car, eating canned tuna they’d opened with a rock, trying to figure out what to do next. They hadn’t really thought the next step through beyond  _ Get to LA, then get a job somehow. _ Being here in Phoenix, working at a diner, bought them a few days to figure out their next move. Rhett was clearly grateful for more than just the food. 

“Miss Cheryl?” Rhett asked, only to be interrupted with “Boy, call me Mama or Mama Cheryl. I don’t have any time for this ‘miss’ or ‘ma’am’ business. It makes me feel old.”

“Mama Cheryl?” Rhett tried again. “Can you give us directions to the nearest laundromat? We could stand to wash our clothes in the next day or two.” Mama Cheryl wrote the directions down on a napkin for them, handing it to Rhett. She eyed Link.

“Does that boy ever talk?” 

Mama Cheryl didn’t know what she might unleash if she encouraged Link to talk. Rhett had taken on most of the talking during their journey, at stores and around that park officer they had encountered, and even now with Mama Cheryl. Rhett was older and had more ideas about their future, but Link was actually the more outgoing one. A lot of times, though, when Link opened his mouth, he’d stick his foot in it pretty soon after. He was known for saying unintentionally off-the-wall or naughty things, and the last thing either of them wanted was to offend Mama Cheryl. Their agreement was completely unspoken, but both knew it was best if Rhett talked.

“Yes, Mama Cheryl. I do talk, just… Rhett is usually better at doing the talkin’.” Link smiled a crooked smile, his cheeks shifting with it. Link had the power to win over just about anyone with that smile, and Mama Cheryl didn’t ask any more questions. The boys finished their chicken and thanked her again, then headed to the motel to grab their clothes.

 

“I’m glad we brought the change jars,” Link said as he pressed quarters into the slot on the machine. They were placing their clothes in the dryer, thankful they didn’t have to spend too much of their money to wash and dry them. They briefly considered the idea of trying to hang the clothes up in the hotel room to air dry as a way of saving their precious resources, but they’d need dry clothes for tomorrow, and it was easier to do it this way.

Link looked over at Rhett, stripped down to a pair of gym shorts and socks. After a long discussion, the boys had decided that they needed every possible item of clothing clean so they wouldn’t have to do this very often, and it had led to them both standing there in practically nothing to make sure it got done. Link had initially suggested they strip down to just their underwear since the laundromat was empty, other than the attendant who happened to be sleeping in the corner. Rhett had disagreed, though, and the pair settled on wearing shorts.

The boys folded their laundry-- Rhett taking shirts and socks, Link taking pants and underwear-- then divided it and placed it in their respective bags. When they arrived at their motel room that night, both of them suddenly felt the wear of being on their feet all day. It was a different kind of soreness than being in the car all day was, but both boys could feel the dull ache in their muscles and bones as they dozed off. Both of them slept soundly as a heavy thunderstorm rolled in, and neither noticed when the power went out overnight.

* * *

 

At the diner the next morning, it seemed like the entire town was abuzz about the storms. The boys both knew it couldn’t have been all of Phoenix pressed into the diner, but it had to be a significant part of the general neighborhood they were in, at least. Rick, the fry cook, had powered up a generator. That meant Cheryl’s Diner was the only building in the area with air conditioning at the moment.

“There isn’t much left over today, boys, thanks to the power outage, but I did save you what I could, okay?” Mama Cheryl whisked them into the back. “There aren’t really seats out there… I haven’t seen the diner this busy in ages! I’ll bring you what I can back here, and hopefully if the power is back on at lunch time, I’ll be able to bring you more food then, okay?”

“Mama Cheryl, can we please buy lunch from you? You’ve done so much for us, and we both feel bad taking any more from you.” Link spoke this time, throwing her off a bit.

“I would just be throwing this food away. It’s left over and I can’t feed it to my customers if it’s been out a certain amount of time. Now, it may not be the freshest food, I wouldn’t serve it to a paying customer, but you boys aren’t the first ones I’ve helped through a rough spot and you won’t be the last. As long as you don’t mind eating eggs that are 20 minutes old instead of 15, I don’t mind serving those eggs to you for free. Just do a good job on my dishes, okay?” 

The boys thanked her profusely, downing the eggs and toast she brought them, then getting back into their rhythm with the dishes, Rhett scraping, Link washing, rinsing and drying together.

“Link, what are we going to do when we get to LA?” Rhett tossed the question into the air. For so long on their journey, LA seemed so abstract, this destination they were heading towards but weren’t anywhere near. Now that they were within a day’s drive of it, it started to feel real. “I know we said we would find work, but what if we can’t find a place to hire us? It’s going to be hard to get in at any place in Hollywood, probably. We really didn’t think this through.” Rhett groaned, feeling like maybe he’d led them on a wild goose chase to the West Coast without any solid plans, worried they’d end up totally screwed when they got there.

“I don’t know what we’re gonna do, Rhett. But at least now we have experience doing dishes at a diner. Maybe Mama Cheryl will volunteer to be a reference?” Link didn’t mind the idea of them continuing to do this in LA, make some money and settle in before they tried to get a job in the film industry. He wagered that without any formal film education, they’d need something solid, like a finished documentary, just to get their foot in the door.

“Hey, do you think she’d let us bring the video camera? You know, just to show kind of what we’re doing while we’re here? If not, we’ll have to figure out some way to film what we’re doing otherwise, because so far the only stuff we’ve shot in Phoenix was what you got of our clothes spinnin’ at the laundromat… I’m pretty sure we’re going to need better than that.” Link tried to think of another time they’d filmed in Phoenix, but he was certain that was all the footage they had.

Rhett pondered the idea, and the two continued to talk about their options and how perhaps dish washing would be the surest bet in LA for awhile. Link mostly just thanked his lucky stars that they weren’t really spending any money here in Phoenix. Sure, they’d paid for their laundry, but Mama Cheryl was keeping them fed and letting them stay at the motel -- all of that for free. Since they weren’t on the road, they weren’t even spending money on gas, and the motel was literally right next door, so their commute to work was free.

“Boys, come on out here, let’s take a break together.” Mama Cheryl hollered into the back, and the boys followed her voice. They opened the door to a completely empty diner for the first time since they’d set foot in it. “Now that the power’s back on, everyone’s gone home. Let’s have lunch before it gets busy again.”

Mama Cheryl set a burger in front of each of them and slid into the booth directly across from them. Rhett began to eat as Link peeled the tomato off of his burger before diving in himself.

“I know I said I didn’t want to know anything about you two because I don’t want to get into any trouble or have to tell your parents that I’ve been hiding you… but my curiosity is getting the best of me. What’s got you all the way out here in Arizona?”

“I… we came out here because we weren’t quite sure what else to do. Link and I, we’ve always planned to do something big together. We even made a blood oath!” Rhett wondered if the last part of that sounded childish, but he didn’t care. He just kept telling Cheryl what had happened before he could think better of his sudden honesty.

“Anyway, my dad got real mad because Link and I were wanting to go to film school. He thinks we should do something important, like engineering or bein’ doctors or something. Link couldn’t be a doctor, though. He gets all queasy around blood. I just got so mad, I was so mad that he was gonna make Link throw away his dreams just because I couldn’t go to film school. So I said that we should just… go… I dunno, it sounds kind of silly sayin’ it out loud.” Rhett blushed, looking down at his plate.

“I see. So basically, you feel like your dad kind of forced your hand, making you choose between what you really wanted, and what he thought was more important?” Mama Cheryl started as both Rhett and Link nodded at her question, but their mouths were too full to give her a proper answer. The way she said it made it seem like she already knew the answer anyway.

“You know, when I was younger, my mama really wanted me to go to college. She had this big goal for me to go and get a degree and be the first woman in our family to do that. I had another dream. But I did what my mama said, I wanted so much to make her proud. It was hard. It was four years of classes that I just didn’t care all that much about. But you know what? I learned a lot, and I grew from it, and then the second I graduated, I followed my dream. I had worked at a diner all through college, putting in hours before classes in the morning. By the time I got out, I had enough money stashed away to put a solid down payment on this place.” She tapped the table firmly. “It was hard. The first few years, I could barely pay rent. But I would say I’m doing pretty well for myself now, wouldn’t you? Sometimes you can do what people expect you to, and then show them that you knew all along what your true path was.” Mama Cheryl wiped a tear from her eye with the paper napkin at the booth. Her story was touching and heartfelt, but it made Link’s stomach knot up a little bit.

“So you’re saying that maybe we should go home and do the engineering school thing, and  _ then  _ try to get into film after?” Link studied Mama Cheryl’s face, looking for any hint that he was taking her story the wrong way, praying that she didn’t think they were making the wrong decision.

Mama Cheryl reminded Link so much of his own mother in many ways. Their stature, their demeanor… feeling like Mama Cheryl didn’t approve of their choices kind of felt like a kick to the stomach for Link, who already knew his mother wouldn’t be happy with the decision they’d made.

“I’m not saying that,” Mama Cheryl said. “Well, maybe I am. But the point is, there’s a reason you two ran all the way out here, and I can’t tell you if that was the wrong decision or not. Clearly you had a reason to think this was the best option, and maybe it’s because you’re teenagers and think that your parents don’t know what’s best for you, or maybe you have some other reasons that you haven’t shared with me, or maybe you just felt like this was the right dream to follow. Just don’t rush through it. Take your time. Think things through. You have a long life ahead of you, a long time to make movies people will love. And if you start now? Well, good for you for knowing what you want to do at such a young age.”

Their plates were empty, and the door to the diner opened as a customer came in and sat down at the main bar. Mama Cheryl stood up to take their plates.

“Hey, Mama Cheryl? Thank you. For the advice and for helping us out. Would you mind if we brought our camera tomorrow? We won’t goof off or anything. We just want to get some footage of us doing dishes, show this part of our journey. We’ll set it on the shelf behind us and we won’t mess with it… just turn it on for maybe a few minutes to show what we’re doing?” Rhett’s voice quivered, still not quite over the conversation they’d had. It was a heavy one, that was for sure. 

Mama Cheryl gave her blessing for them to film with a few minor stipulations. They couldn’t share the name of the diner or show her or anyone else who worked there, and if they were goofing off, they’d have to take it back to the motel at lunch. It was a fair set of rules, so they agreed quickly before heading back to their dishes for the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to rhinkipoo and clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for helping me sort out the dialogue in this chapter and for beta reading and editing it. If you LOVE this fic, just know that so much of the driving force behind it is these two amazing ladies who are always helping me keep writing S+J. <3


	8. Chapter 8

The next two days went by in a blur. The boys spent their days washing dishes and taking breaks when Mama Cheryl had leftover food for them. At night, they’d play cards or lay on a patch of grass between the diner and motel to look at the sky and just talk. It was peaceful, a nice break from the long hours they were putting in at the diner. They didn’t mind doing the dishes, and Mama Cheryl was so kind and generous to them. But when they’d arrived, she’d only promised them a few days and, well, it had been a few days. They weren’t sure they’d have much longer in Phoenix, but they were thankful for everything regardless.

Being in Phoenix, with Mama Cheryl cutting them this break, bought them time to figure out what came next. They still hadn’t figured it out, but at least they’d gotten time to breathe, time outside of the car. Staying on the road much longer most likely would have broken them, but now all of the fatigue from the long hours driving had worn off, replaced with a new sense of pride in their hard work.

They set up their camera on the shelf behind them and stood at the sinks washing for the day. Over the past few days, they’d taken the time to film their conversations as they washed, little snippets here and there. They’d turned their camera off for most of the day, hoping to conserve the battery life. And if they thought a conversation might come up where they’d be talking about the diner specifically, or about Mama Cheryl’s generosity, they’d flip the camera off to stay mindful of her rules. Neither of them wanted her to get in trouble for helping them, not after everything she’d done.

“Rhett, Link, come out and eat some lunch. I wanted to talk to you about something!” Mama Cheryl poked her head into the room around 1:00, and Link dried his hands on the apron she’d given him to wear during work. Link swallowed nervously, his pronounced Adam’s apple bobbing to indicate his hesitation. This was it, the signal that they’d soon be out of work, moving on to LA, and Link wasn’t sure he was ready.

“Don’t worry, man. We knew it wasn’t gonna last forever.” Rhett put his hand on the small of Link’s back, nudging him towards the door. They sat down at the bar, two burgers already waiting for them. Link noticed instantly that his didn’t have tomato. Mama Cheryl was very observant of the time he’d peeled it off when they’d last had a major conversation. She always seemed to give them burgers for important conversations.

“My dishwasher will be back at work in the morning.” Mama Cheryl wasn’t telling them new information, but it was still hard to take in. They’d started to settle into a routine here, and both boys felt like maybe they could stay in Phoenix for a little while. They were happy here. LA was still so uncertain, but this felt sure, and now it was coming to an end. “I might have something else for you boys, though, if you’re not in a hurry to get to California just yet.”

Rhett’s eyes lit up, and he gave Link a little kick in the ankle under the bar. It wasn’t a hard kick so much as a  _ did you hear her say what I just heard her say?  _ kick.

“Obviously, if my dishwasher is back, I’m not going to need the two of you on dish duty anymore. And, you’re too young to be working back there with Rick. It’s too cramped back there anyway. But at the motel next door, we’re a little bit understaffed at the moment. Now, it’s much harder work than the dishes. You’re stripping beds and washing the linens and cleaning up and all that. You’ve done a good job on my dishes, but there’s a lot more to pay attention to when cleaning the motel.”

“Link’s real good with cleaning, Mama Cheryl. We could make it look nice.” Rhett knew that Link’s attention to detail would make Mama Cheryl proud.

“Well, here’s the deal. I’ll let you keep staying at the motel while you’re helping me out. You’d be cleaning the rooms that people check out of. If we have a lot of guests, then you’ll be working late, but if we don’t have many, you may only have a couple of hours of work in a day. You’ll work until the work is done. But like I said, it’s harder work than dishwashing, so if you’re not interested, I understand.”

“We’d be happy to do it, Mama Cheryl.” Link agreed without taking the time to discuss it with Rhett privately. They could have taken the time to discuss it, weigh the pros and cons, but they knew each other so well. Rhett’s little kick to Link’s foot had already spoken volumes, as did his insistence on Link’s ability to clean. They were obviously interested. Link wasn’t sure if their interest came from fear or from comfort.

Was it because they were afraid of what might face them when they reached LA? Or was it because of the generosity Mama Cheryl had shown them and the way they’d already felt so at home in their shared hotel room? After they’d done their laundry, they actually took the time to unpack and use the dresser in the hotel room instead of just living out of their bags. It was starting to feel like they belonged there, even though it had been less than a week. Either way, agreeing to work in the motel seemed like their best bet for now, and Link wasn’t going to let the opportunity go by taking Rhett aside to talk about it.

“Since it’s harder work, I’m going to pay you. You can keep staying in the room, that’s fine, and when you finish your work, you can even use the machines we do the linens with for your own laundry. That’ll save you a few bucks at the laundromat. I can’t pay you much. It’s all under the table since you’re both so young. You can still come and get food here before and after work, though, the same as you’ve been doing. I know you’re trying to save your money for California, but about all I can do is $3.00 an hour. Each, of course. Some days, that’ll add up because you’ll have a lot of rooms, but some days it won’t be much. It’s all I can do.” 

Mama Cheryl was far more apologetic than she needed to be. Rhett knew that he and Link would have agreed to stay even if they stuck with their current arrangement of the room and some food. Money was just icing on the cake. For the first time during the journey, they’d actually be adding money to their LA fund. Sure, she said the work was harder, but it couldn’t be that hard, could it?

“Oh, and boys? I’d like you to take the rest of the day off. You’ve been working hard since you got here, and you deserve some rest before you start on the hotel tomorrow.” It was still early in their work day, which meant Mama Cheryl was giving them time to just enjoy exploring Phoenix. They’d often worked later into the evening, taking care of the post-dinner-rush dishes, so they hadn’t strayed far from the motel and diner. This was their first chance to really go exploring, and Rhett wondered what they’d do with the time.

“Hey, Link, why don’t you go grab the camera? I’ll help gather our lunch dishes.” Rhett ushered Link back towards the dish room, staying behind to ask Mama Cheryl something. When Link returned, they walked back to their motel room together in silence. Rhett was never this quiet.  
  


Rhett had the map balanced on the steering wheel, a note with scribbled instructions too far away for Link to read. He was driving towards, well, who knows where? They’d never been this far from the motel, not since they got here.

“Where are we goin’, Rhett?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there, man. Trust me, you’re going to like it.” Rhett had talked to Mama Cheryl and asked her for the directions, and she was happy to write them down for Rhett while Link was cleaning up and grabbing the camera. She had even boxed up extra chicken for them to take with them, to give them something to eat for dinner that night. It’d be cold when they got around to eating it, sure, but Rhett didn’t care. Food was food, and after his plans, he didn’t think Link would mind, either.

It wasn’t until Rhett pulled up to the gate and paid the parking fee that Link figured out what Rhett had planned.

Standing next to the Gila River, Link felt small. It was the same feeling that he’d get back at home anytime they’d go to the Cape Fear River. There was a rush about it, the sound of the water, the freedom he felt when he’d float on his back to allow the water to carry him along a few feet. But then he remembered something important.

“Dude, it’s November! You can’t be serious. We’re gonna freeze our asses off!”

“Natural hot springs, man. This part of the river stays warm all year long. Mama Cheryl told me so!” It was the middle of a weekday, so there weren’t many people there. But in the secluded part of the river they’d walked to? There wasn’t a single soul around. It was just like back home, where they’d go swimming after school. At their spot on the Cape Fear River, they’d shared endless hours of laughter and conversation, and today at the Gila River was shaping up to be no different. 

Link stripped down to his boxers, then took a running leap and did a cannonball right into the river. Rhett wasn’t far behind, the splash he made reverberating under the water before Link had even surfaced. Link swam towards the bank, feet seeking mud so he could stand upright. When he reached the edge, he laughed, throwing his head back. He wasn’t sure why he was laughing, but something about this just felt so… right. So freeing.

“You’re right, man! It’s  _ so  _ warm!” Swimming in November. Back home, this would have nearly frozen them to death. But here? It was comfortable, warmer than the outside air. They swam, splashing each other, holding their breath, enjoying their time. Any worries that had been on their minds were suddenly gone, washed away by the warm water flowing past them. They didn’t talk about home, didn’t talk about LA, didn’t even talk about Phoenix really. They just enjoyed the afternoon, happy to have a carefree moment in a journey that was so full of the demands of adulthood. They knew when they left that they’d be thrust suddenly into growing up, but neither of them knew exactly what to expect from the experience. But today, they could just go back to how they were. For one afternoon, they weren’t Rhett and Link going to LA and seeking their dreams. They were just… Rhett and Link.

A few hours after they’d arrived, Link collapsed onto the shore, muscles worn from swimming. He smiled, basking in the sun as Rhett tossed a towel in his direction. Mama Cheryl had said she didn’t mind them taking the towels from the hotel room as long as they brought them back, so Rhett had stashed some in the car while Link changed out of his clothes from work. It had been a good plan because even though the river was warm, it was a cool 60 degrees outside. Link towel-dried his hair and looked up at his best friend with a smile. “Thanks for bringing me here, bo.”

“It was fun, wasn’t it?” Rhett smiled, happy they’d made the trip.

“Dude, I’m gonna change into my clothes. Turn around or somethin’!” Link insisted and Rhett obliged as Link tugged his soaking boxers off and pulled his jeans on. As he turned around again, he tugged his shirt over his head and saw that Rhett had taken the time to change clothes as well.

“Yeah, like we haven’t seen each other change before.” Rhett rolled his eyes, chuckling at Link. “You hungry? I’ve got chicken.” 

The two sat down to eat, this meal a far cry from their last picnic, the one where they’d fallen asleep. They weren’t as tired anymore, actually getting proper rest at the hotel despite being crammed into a shared bed. Anything beat sleeping in the car. Link’s hands were worn from work, Rhett’s faring slightly better since he didn’t have his submerged in the hot water all day like Link did. The hard work wasn’t any easier than life back home. In most ways, it was harder, more stressful. Worrying about the future and what waited for them in LA, that was a big part of their life here. But the harder work, the stress, the worry? It was all worth it. For once, they were making these decisions for themselves instead of going down the path their families had planned for them. Link thought maybe swimming would hurt, remind him of home far too much. But as Rhett passed him a chicken strip, he realized that, in spite of everything, he no longer had a pit in his stomach when thinking of Buies Creek.

 

Link didn’t miss home, because his home was with Rhett.

 

Rhett didn’t notice at first, but part way into his third chicken strip, Link had started to shiver. It started as a small shake, a few goosebumps as the wind picked up, his hair still wet from swimming. He only had a tee shirt with him, and the weather outside was cool. Within minutes, though, he started to shake more, the shivering overtaking him, rocking his lean body almost violently. 

“Are you okay, man?” Rhett placed his hand on Link’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Link said through clenched teeth, held tight so they wouldn’t chatter. “I’m just… really freakin’ cold now all of a sudden.” He rubbed his arms and curled his knees up in front of him, trying to make himself as small as possible and hoping it would help him feel warmer. 

A look of concern crossed Rhett’s face. They’d walked up the bank to a quiet spot on the river, and their car was a good 15 or 20 minute walk away. There was no way Link would be able to get there while shivering this hard.

“Come here,” Rhett insisted. Though he said it with compassion, it was clearly a command rather than a request. Rhett wanted to help, needed to help Link warm up. In some ways, he felt it was his fault, his fault for taking them swimming even though it was cold outside, his fault for not thinking to bring blankets or something to keep them warm after. He was so caught up in the fun of it that he didn’t think about Link freezing his butt off until he started shivering. Link scooted closer to Rhett, and Rhett closed the distance between them, wrapping an arm around Link and rubbing his hands down both of Link’s arms. Link was still shivering, though, and it didn’t seem like it was going to stop all that easily.

“Okay, Link. This is gonna be kind of weird, but just go with it. We gotta get you warmed up so we can walk back to the car.” Rhett spread his legs apart and motioned for Link to sit in front of him. Without the car, and with wet towels, their best option was body heat. Link sat down in front of Rhett without much protest. He was cold, the sun was setting, and the wind was blowing, which just added to the chill. Link pressed his back against Rhett’s chest, and Rhett wrapped his arms around him to keep him warm. Link’s knees were pulled into his own chest, and for a long time, Rhett just held him. It only took about 10 minutes for the shivers to start to slow, then subside altogether.

It was so soft that Link barely noticed when Rhett planted a small, soft kiss just behind his ear. They stayed there a few minutes longer, sitting in silence. The sun was dipping low on the horizon now, stars mostly taking over the sky.

“Do you think we should head back?” Rhett was the first one to speak.

“Yeah, we probably should. First day of work at the motel tomorrow, right?”

They gathered their wet boxers and cleaned up after their chicken strip dinner, walking back to the car slowly, silently. The car ride home was mostly silent, too, just driving, with Link speaking just to tell Rhett where to turn, guiding them back to the motel. It was second nature to call it “home” now. It felt like home. They’d been living there for days, and it seemed that wasn’t changing anytime soon.

Back at the motel, Link decided to take a shower. He was always one for night showers, and despite being exhausted, he knew a hot shower was just the right thing to finish warming him up. His shivers had long subsided, sure, but his mind was racing.  _ Maybe I imagined it. _ Link cranked the shower water even hotter, his skin turning pink at its heat.

Rhett lay in bed, flipping through channels to see what was on. News, sports, more news, MTV. He settled on MTV and set the remote on the bed beside him. He didn’t know why he had it on, because he wasn’t watching it anyway. He stared up at the ceiling.  _ What was I thinking?  _ He had no idea what had possessed him to do that. It just felt right. He’d been holding onto Link, trying to keep him warm, and he didn’t know what happened, but the next thing he knew, his lips were behind Link’s ear, pressed into his hair. Neither of them spoke about it after, so he silently prayed that maybe Link hadn’t felt it, hadn’t noticed, and that they could just forget about it. 

Rhett dozed off thinking about it and didn’t notice when Link came to bed. He did, however, wake enough to feel Link snuggling in a little bit closer, his back against Rhett’s chest for the second time that evening. Rhett smiled and draped his arm around Link’s waist, then drifted back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you thank you thank you to Rhinkipoo and Clemwasjustagirl/Shewasjustagirl for editing/beta reading this fic! <3 <3 <3 Love you both to bits.


	9. Chapter 9

Link pulled the sheets off of the bed, tossing them into the laundry cart before tugging a clean set on, making the bed with an almost army-like precision _. Seriously, what the heck was it? Maybe I’m just imagining things. Did he actually kiss me? Did I mind if he kissed me?  _ A million thoughts ran through Link’s head as he silently finished making the bed, trying to get the room done as quickly as possible. They had a lot of rooms to get through.

It was their first day on the new job, and Melody, the motel manager, had shown them how to clean the first room, but after that the boys were on their own with a list and some supplies. They quickly worked out which tasks they preferred doing and which ones they were best at. Link’s keen eye for detail meant that making the beds was his job, and Rhett’s stronger stomach left him scrubbing toilets. When they were done with their respective areas of each room, they’d share the remaining tasks, like loading the laundry in the machines and folding it after. It seemed like a good plan to make the work go quickly.

They were on their third room of the day. It felt like they were making good time on the work since it was just past one. Their division of labor meant they’d hardly had a chance to talk about anything, though, let alone what had happened. So they just didn’t. They didn’t talk about it. Instead, they chose to work.

In their fourth room, Rhett found some money sitting on the night stand.

“I think we should probably take it to Melody at the end of the day, turn it in just in case they forgot it somehow,” Rhett insisted, he and Link both staring at the money.

“Yeah, that’s probably best,” Link agreed, wondering how someone could forget a few dollars from their wallet. He’d spent most of their trip counting and re-counting their money, being careful with every penny, and he couldn’t imagine anyone being so careless with money that they’d just leave some behind.

As Rhett scrubbed the toilet and sprayed the shower with cleaner, he missed talking to Link. He knew it was silly, since Link was just on the other side of the wall making the bed, but he’d grown used to spending the entire day talking. At the diner, their days were spent side-by-side, but here they both threw themselves into their individual tasks, leaving no real room for communication.

Rhett wondered what he’d even say if he and Link did get to talk. _ Sorry I kissed your head when you were cold? Am I even sorry? I was just worried and wanted to make sure you warmed up?  _ But Rhett figured maybe he should forget it ever happened. Link probably didn’t notice anyway. _ If he didn’t notice, though, why’d he curl up so close to me last night? Idiot. He was probably just still cold _ . Rhett couldn’t figure out why he cared anyway. He had a girlfriend. Or he used to have a girlfriend until he ran away with his best friend and travelled most of the way across the country. But that was just semantics. He had a girlfriend. And the kiss was just instinct, no different than something his mom would have done when he was young, an act of protectiveness after trying to warm his best friend up. 

_ So then why do I want to do it again? _

Room after room, the boys worked nearly silently, carefully complimenting each other on work well done, but otherwise not saying much at all. A few more rooms had money in them, so Link started taking notes on a piece motel stationery about how much came from which room.

At the end of the day, they approached Melody with the money and the list, and they were met with a hearty laugh.

“Oh, my dear sweet boys. Aren’t you just the cutest? Those are tips!” She chuckled in a sweet, high-pitched voice that lilted melodically, just as her name implied it might. Their eyes went wide as she handed them back the money. “It’s for you. You guys must not stay in hotels much?” Melody wasn’t much older than Rhett and Link, maybe 3 or 4 years. But she was right, neither of the boys had stayed in very many hotels, and if their parents left tips for the people cleaning their rooms, they hadn’t noticed it.

Back in their room, Link mentally calculated the money they’d gotten in tips, then added it to the pay they’d be getting from Mama Cheryl next week. He realized with excitement that they’d made almost as much in tips as they had in the six hours of work they’d put in that day. 

With the rooms cleaned and put back together, and the laundry washed and placed in the dryers, the boys were free to explore. They purchased gas with the money they’d gotten in tips, then decided to drive around town for a little while. It seemed funny to them that there had been a time they’d been itching to get out of the car. Now that they weren’t driving non-stop, driving around Phoenix was relaxing and fun. It was a drastically different feeling than the sense of exhilaration mixed with fear they’d felt when leaving Buies Creek.

Most of their car ride around town was spent simply listening to music, Link fiddling with the station knob as Rhett drove. Neither of them mentioned anything, good or bad, about the previous day. They didn’t even talk about how much fun swimming in the river was, and neither of them were sure if the other was avoiding the topic or just enjoying being in the moment. But when Link smiled over at his companion, blue eyes crinkling up a little bit at the corners, Rhett returned the smile with a look that lit up his face, lifting his cheeks and making his eyes sparkle.

The days started to blur: sleeping, working, sleeping again. They had early evenings off to do what they’d like. Sometimes they drove around, but most nights they would hang out in their room watching MTV and playing cards. They’d splurged on a pack of Mello Yello at the store, and enjoyed the time spent simply doing nothing after working hard during the day. 

Every morning they’d walk to the diner for breakfast, Mama Cheryl giving them whatever food she had left from the rush before they’d start work. In the evenings, they’d return to the diner for some dinner. Mama Cheryl took good care of them, feeding them well.

Working in housekeeping meant using an entirely different set of muscles, and their bodies ached in ways that were far removed from when they did the dishes or sat in the car for long stretches. They were getting physically stronger, working hard at scrubbing tile and washing mirrors, folding sheets and wiping down surfaces. But they were also feeling emotionally stronger, more connected to themselves and to their future. Despite the fact that neither of them had mentioned the Gila River in four days, they’d grown closer to each other, too.

When night fell around them they’d exchange quiet goodnights, and Link would press against Rhett, Rhett draping his arm around Link. It was silent, neither of them discussing the decision to move into that position, but both instead shifting into it as though it were second nature. It was a far cry from the tangle of limbs from their first few nights of trying to figure out just how to fit their tall bodies into a shared bed. Rhett wasn’t sure if this arrangement came from a desire to comfort each other on the long journey or if it was just necessity, the easiest way to fit them both in the bed so no one ended up hurt or tangled. Either way, they fit, and neither of them had any trouble falling asleep.

* * *

 

It was breakfast time on their fifth day working at the motel, and Mama Cheryl placed their food on the counter, just like always.

“You figured out what you’re going to do with your day off yet, boys? Big plans?” she asked with a wide smile.

“Our day off?” Rhett choked on a piece of egg, picking up his water to wash it down. Mama Cheryl hadn’t said anything before about them getting days off, especially not in the middle of the week.

“You boys didn’t actually think I’d make you work Thanksgiving, did you? I mean, I can be a tough cookie, but I’m not that mean!” She tossed her head back with a laugh, grey curls bouncing as she did.

“Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving?” Link asked, trying to figure out how long they’d been gone. Today marked two weeks exactly. Two weeks didn’t seem like long, and at home, it probably wouldn’t have felt that long. Their weeks would have been stuffed with a revolving door of tests, homework, practice, and more school. But here, two weeks had seemed like a lifetime. So much had changed in just two short weeks, and it was already Thanksgiving.

“Yes, it is. So I’ll take that to mean that you two don’t have plans then?” She questioned, softly now. This was their first big holiday away from home, and Mama Cheryl seemed to sense the mixed emotions that would bring.

“No, Mama Cheryl, no plans. If you need us to work, we’d be happy to.” Rhett didn’t mind working, and he knew there were people staying at the motel, so if they needed to work, there was no reason for them not to.  _ Maybe after we finish dinner tonight, we can go buy some turkey Lunchables or something for tomorrow, have a little Thanksgiving dinner in our room after work.  _ Rhett tried to think of the most affordable way that he could make a Thanksgiving dinner without actually having the ability to make a turkey.

“You are not working on Thanksgiving. I’m asking because the diner is closed, but tomorrow at 1:00, I’m having the family over here for a little Thanksgiving dinner, and I’d like you boys to come. It’s nothing fancy, so don’t worry about dressing up. Just come as you are.”

“You don’t have to do that, Mama Cheryl, really. We wouldn’t want to impose.” The longer they’d been around Mama Cheryl, the more Link started to speak up instead of letting Rhett do all the talking.

“It’s no imposition. When I say the family, I mean chosen family. See, we’ve got kind of a ragtag gang out here. Me, Rick, Melody of course, some other friends. You boys, you’re family now, too. It’ll be a good time. Just come. Thanksgiving isn’t meant for being alone.” Mama Cheryl insisted they be there, and they agreed to come. After all, she was right. Thanksgiving wasn’t meant to be spent alone.

“Hey, Rhett, can you believe we’ve been gone for two weeks?” Link said, tucking the corner of the fitted sheet under the mattress.

“What?” Rhett said from the other room as he scrubbed at the shower walls, trying to get them just right.

“Can you believe we’ve been gone for two weeks?” Link repeated, working on the second corner of the sheets.

“Dude, it’s so hard to hear you from the bathroom. Wait until I get out there and then we’ll talk. We don’t have that many rooms to do today anyway.” Rhett went back to scrubbing the shower wall. He was almost done, and he’d rather get the work done to begin with and save the talking for after work when they could just relax.

Link sighed, finishing up the bed he was working on and moving on to wipe down all of the surfaces with an antibacterial cleaner. He allowed his mind to wander in the quiet work. Since they worked in near-silence, he had a lot of time to daydream, thinking about home sometimes, and about the future. 

But mostly he replayed their journey, from the night Rhett had asked him to come with him as he held Rhett’s hand under the tree, to the moment when Rhett had held him after they swam. He thought about the comments they got back home, the questioning stares they’d get as they’d laugh or talk, always walking close enough to the other that anyone else would have tripped over each other, though they never seemed to have any problem. He wondered if maybe there was more to the questions, the stares, the name-calling, if maybe those people saw something in them that he’d never seen. But as they finished that room and moved on to the next, he pushed the thoughts out of his head and urged himself to focus on work instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you to rhinkipoo and clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for beta reading and editing this for me! <3


	10. Chapter 10

Link squinted his eyes, peering at the numbers on the clock. He was so warm here, so cozy that he never wanted to get up, but as soon as he saw the time, he sat upright, grabbing Rhett’s arm. “We’re late, Rhett, we’re freaking late! We’re gonna be so screwed, we’re late!”

Rhett tugged at Link’s arm with his free hand, urging him to lay back down. “Thanksgiving, remember?” Rhett mumbled, still mostly asleep, or at least wanting to be.

Link lay down again, this time facing the ceiling instead of laying on his side curled into Rhett. Rhett’s arm rested across his chest, still unmoving from the position it had been in when Link was on his side.  _ Right, Thanksgiving. Day off.  _ He couldn’t quiet his mind enough to fall back to sleep, though, and Rhett could feel him stirring even as he tried to stay still and let Rhett sleep.

“Okay, fine, I’m up,” Rhett sighed, giving Link a gentle punch in the arm. “I’m gonna go shower, okay?”

“‘kay.” Link sat up and got dressed, trying to find the most respectable clothing he had for their Thanksgiving dinner that afternoon. Mama Cheryl had insisted they didn’t need to dress up and that they didn’t need to bring anything, but he still felt underdressed in his jeans and tee shirt.  _ We’ll probably have to buy nicer clothes in LA if we want to interview for a job. _ Link ran his hands down his chest and stomach, smoothing his tee shirt out. He teased his fingers through his hair, trying to get it to do something, but not willing to put the effort in of brushing it just yet.

Rhett stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, then walked over to the dresser to get his clothes. Link turned away, blushing and walked over to the window instead, peeking out the curtains and looking at the sky, the clouds, literally anything but Rhett.

_ We’ve seen each other change a thousand times, why is he acting so damn weird about it all of a sudden?  _ Rhett thought about how Link had done the same thing at the river, when he carried his clothes to the bathroom to change. He didn’t want to make Link uncomfortable, but he wasn’t sure why Link had suddenly been so bothered by it in the first place.

“What do you want to do this morning?” Link asked when Rhett was finished getting dressed and emerged from the bathroom again.

“I don’t know. We still have a few hours before we need to be at the diner. I think we’ve still got some Mello Yello left… want to just hang out here? Everything’s probably closed today anyway.” “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Link bounced onto the bed, shaking the whole thing, as Rhett grabbed a couple of cans of soda, passing one to Link. Rhett flipped through the channels for a while, but when nothing seemed worth watching, they switched to playing cards instead, sitting on top of the bed, legs crossed between them.

After cards, Link scooted closer until his knees were touching Rhett’s. He held his hands out in the space between them. “Want to play Red Hands?” He waggled his eyebrows, a wide grin across his face.

“Oh gosh, we haven’t played that forever!” Rhett exclaimed, hovering his hands just over Link’s. Red Hands had been a staple of their childhood. It was simple enough -- one person sat with their palms turned up, and the other with their hands just above them, palms down. Link preferred to have his palms face up, but who didn’t? It meant he got to try to slap Rhett’s hands, or at least make Rhett flinch a million times by moving his hand just enough, then slapping when Rhett least expected it. Any time he successfully slapped Rhett’s hands, they’d switch hand positions. Link was better at the game than Rhett, though, so most of the time he was waiting for Rhett to manage to slap him. Sometimes he just let Rhett win so they could switch.

“Are we going to call home?” Link asked, moving his hands slightly as Rhett yanked his away quickly. When Rhett was sure he had avoided a slap, he moved his hands back into place.

“I don’t know. Do you want to?” Link waggled his hands a few more times, Rhett flinching each time.  _ SLAP! _ The last time, Link caught him off guard, and Rhett placed his hands where Link’s had been. Link’s hands hovered just over his.

“Not really. I just wasn’t sure if we should since it was Thanksgiving.” Rhett moved his hands, but Link didn’t flinch, focused on staring Rhett down more than on the game itself.

“Oh. I don’t think we have to. Besides, if we call, they might find us or somethin’.” Rhett slapped Link’s hands successfully this time, catching him just before he yanked his hands away.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Link moved, Rhett flinched, and he moved, and Rhett flinched again.  _ SLAP! _

“Dang, that hurt that time, buddyroll!” Rhett shook his hand out to one side, laughing. “You’re stronger than you think, man.” Link’s whole face turned red, and he dipped his head low trying to hide it.

“Thanks,” he murmured quietly. Silence lingered between them for a few rounds of the game. “Do you miss Heather?” Link wondered, since they were talking about home, if Rhett was sad that he’d left her behind.

“Honestly? I haven’t really thought that much about her, I guess. I know that sounds bad, I just… we’ve had a lot of other stuff going on, and I’m sure she’s fine…” he trailed off. “Do you miss Jamie?”

“Not really. I mean, she’s nice, Rhett, really, she is. But mostly I asked her out because it was like… she was Heather’s friend, so I figured we’d be able to double date easier. She’s really nice, though. I just… I mean, I don’t think I’d marry her.”

“That makes sense. I probably wouldn’t marry Heather, either. She’s just, I mean, she’s fun. We always had fun together, you know? I bet if we went back, though, they’ve probably already moved on anyway.” Rhett didn’t want Heather to wait on him, didn’t expect her to. He hadn’t told her they were leaving, and he figured that was as good a sign as any that he wasn’t really as into her as their locker-side kisses might have implied. He didn’t dislike her, she was pretty and funny. She looked great in her cheerleading uniform, too, but he wasn’t in love with her or anything.

“Yeah, probably. That’s good, too, because like… we don’t know when we’ll go back next, right?”

“Yeah.” The pair continued trying to slap each other’s hands, shifting the conversation away from everything back in Buies Creek. _Leave it to the holidays to make you think about the past,_ Rhett pondered. “Maybe next year we’ll have a job, like… a job we actually want to do. And an apartment. Maybe we’ll be having our own Thanksgiving dinner.” Rhett mused about the future, hoping they’d be settled into LA by then, doing something exciting.

“You’ll have to cook it. I’d probably just burn everything.” Link was really good at making cereal and really bad at making just about anything else.

“You could open the cranberries,” Rhett suggested, trying to make Link feel a little bit better about his cooking skill.

“You trust me with a can opener?” Link snickered, thinking about his clumsiness. He moved to slap Rhett’s hands again, but Rhett pulled away too quickly.

“Good point… but you were pretty good with that rock when you opened our ravioli. Maybe we’ll keep a sharp rock in the kitchen just for you!” Rhett was laughing hard now, and so was Link. It took them a little bit of time to catch their breath. “Whose hands were on top, anyway?”

“I don’t know man. Probably yours.” Rhett placed his hands on top this time, but Link didn’t move. He just looked at Rhett, almost like he was studying him. Rhett felt one of Link’s fingers graze against his downturned palm. At first, it seemed accidental, but when he kept feeling Link’s fingers brush the palm of his hand, he knew that it wasn’t an accident at all. “I’m really glad you asked me to come with you, Rhett.”

Rhett took Link’s hand, holding it as he rubbed his thumb along the back of it. “I’m really glad I did, too. But if you wouldn’t have come… I wouldn’t have left. I was only ever gonna do this with you.” His words were quiet and soft, hanging in the air between them. Link wasn’t sure how to respond. When they’d left North Carolina, they were two friends taking an epic journey together, placing their faith and trust and comfort in the other’s hands. Now? He wasn’t sure where things stood between them. He hadn’t felt the subtle changes that brought them here, not really. But sitting here, across from Rhett, it hit him like a flood. Nothing had changed, but somehow everything had. He leaned forward, across the legs that were crossed between them, and planted a soft, quick kiss on Rhett’s cheek. He blushed furiously, unable to look Rhett in the eye.

Rhett placed a finger under his chin, lifting Link’s face to look at him. He leaned forward, close enough to Link that they were pretty much sharing the same breath. Link closed the distance, and they shared a brief, chaste kiss. Link thought his heart might burst out of his chest. He could feel it pounding, like it was going to escape. He was pretty sure Rhett could hear his heartbeat in the silence. They spent a long time looking at each other, not moving, both afraid that if they did, they’d break whatever spell had them locked here for the time being.

“Oh! Shoot! We’re gonna be late!” Rhett suddenly noticed the clock out of the corner of his eye and he hopped up pulling Link with him. They walked to the diner without saying anything about what had just happened. When they approached the door, Rhett moved forward, opening it for Link instead of heading in first. As Link walked through, wondering what Rhett was doing, he felt Rhett’s palm press against his lower back. A blush crept across his entire body. His stomach erupted with butterflies, but he couldn’t shake the wide grin on his face.   
  


“Sorry we’re late,” Link said quietly as he walked into the diner. He didn’t notice that aside from Mama Cheryl, Rick, and Melody, no one else was there yet, either.

“Oh, child, don’t worry. No one comes on time to this, I should have warned you about that yesterday.” Mama Cheryl laughed heartily, setting plates on the tables that had been pushed together in the middle of the diner.

“Can we help?” Rhett asked, reaching forward to pick up the silverware from the edge of the table, starting to place it around the plates without waiting for an answer.

“Now, you two are my guests, you shouldn’t be setting the table! It’s your day off!” Mama Cheryl insisted, but Rhett continued setting the table, and Link followed suit, setting a cup by each plate. They couldn’t come to dinner and not offer to help. His mother had raised him better than that. “I’ve got some board games over there, go play something. Or are board games boring at your age? I don’t remember.” She scratched her head, then smiled and shrugged. The boys finished setting the table, then walked over to look at the games.

“Mama Cheryl, you want to play Sorry! with us?” Rhett lifted the first game off of the stack, and, having played it at friends’ houses, remembered it to be relatively easy to play. Link started setting up the board, but she suggested Melody play.

She bounded over and sat in one of the empty chairs, picking the green pawns. They started playing, Link trying to remember the rules of the game. When Rhett had gotten a piece almost to the home space, and Melody was in a similar position, Link pulled a Sorry! card.  _ Oh gosh. _ He picked up Rhett’s piece, placed it back on start, and said “Sorry,” meekly, trying to sound genuine. The giggle that followed his apology, however, made the “sorry” a little less sincere, and Rhett couldn’t help but smile at his friend. Under the table, he nudged Link’s foot, and Link felt a spark of electricity from his toes all the way through to his reddening ears. Melody didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, she kept playing the game like she didn’t. In the end, she won, both boys spending most of the game sending each other back to start and chuckling each time. Before they knew it, everyone was settling in around the table and the food was ready, so they boxed up the game and moved to sit next to each other.

“We have a little Thanksgiving tradition around here. It’s not that different from what a lot of people do, but it’s our tradition anyway. Before we eat, we go around the table and we say one thing that we’re thankful for.”

Mama Cheryl was thankful for her family, as unusual as it may be. Looking around the table, it did seem like an unusual blend of people with no real connection other than Mama Cheryl pulling them into the family. Melody was thankful for the news she’d just received that her husband would be coming home from a deployment overseas. The boys hadn’t known that she was married. She didn’t wear a wedding band around her finger, but after she mentioned it, the dog tags hanging around her neck were very clear. Rick was thankful for the food.

“Rhett, you’re up,” Mama Cheryl said as everyone turned to look at him, Link included. They hadn’t said anything, but when they’d sat down, somehow their chairs had ended up so close together that Rhett’s leg, from the knee down, was pressed against Link’s. Rhett, under the tablecloth that Mama Cheryl had set out for the special occasion, patted Link’s knee.

“I’m thankful for Link. I’m thankful that he came with me, and I’m thankful that he’s been my best friend for so long.” Rhett felt like he should add something else, but he didn’t know what, so he left it at that.

Now that it was Link’sturn to speak, he placed his hand on top of Rhett’s. “I’m thankful for taking chances, even if they’re really scary at first. Sometimes they’re really great, too. And I’m thankful for Rhett.” Mama Cheryl must have filled everyone at the table in on the boys’ journey, at least a little, because they all seemed to know he was talking about the risk they’d taken, running away to pursue their dreams. Rhett was the only person at the table who was pretty sure their journey was not what Link was talking about at all. Link lifted his hand off of Rhett’s, placing it on the edge of the table, and Rhett moved his away from Link as well. Their feet, however, pressed together harder.

At dinner, everyone was talking, passing food, and it really did feel like family. Even though Rhett and Link didn’t know everyone at the table, it didn’t take long for them to feel acquainted.

“So where are you boys from?” A woman that Rhett vaguely remembered was named Sarah asked.

“Um,” Rhett started to answer, but Mama Cheryl cut him off. “I said not to ask anything too personal, Sarah!”

Most of the conversations shifted away from the boys after that. Mama Cheryl had told them on their first day at the diner that she didn’t want to know too much, and even though she’d broken her own rule the day she sat them down to talk to them, he figured she was keeping their story quiet to protect them.

They passed around plates of food, everyone looking for a second helping of something. Turkey, real cranberries instead of the canned kind Rhett and Link had joked about earlier, and corn went around a few times. When Mama Cheryl was satisfied that everyone was plenty full, she gestured to the bar, which had several pies sitting on it. Everyone collectively groaned at the thought of another bite of food, so they settled in for more board games.

Rhett and Link played checkers, each winning a game before picking up a deck of cards to play war instead. Everyone laughed and talked between the tables, all of them happy to have some sort of family to spend the day with.

After they all indulged in a slice or two of pie, Mama Cheryl insisted on making sure everyone went home with a box of food. There were still leftovers, despite how many times the plates of food had been passed around the table, leaving the boys with huge helpings in their boxes, including some dessert.

“Now, you two know where the staff microwave is, right? In the office? Use that to heat up your food when you get hungry later. You work at the motel, and you can use the microwave any time you’d like.” They thanked her, and walked home.

Back at the motel, they flipped through the channels. Most channels had some sort of football on, or some sort of holiday special, so they tuned in to A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and left it on with the volume low. Link fiddled with the laces on his shoes, unlacing them completely, then re-stringing the laces again right after. He wasn’t consciously avoiding talking to Rhett, but after the long afternoon of conversation, they let quiet hang between them. Rhett bit his cuticles as he sat on the edge of the bed, watching Link lace up his shoes. Neither of them said much.

After a prolonged silence, satisfied with his shoelaces, Link spoke quietly. “What do you think will happen if we have to go back to North Carolina?”

“I don’t know, bo. I really don’t know.”

Link nodded, then started unstringing his shoelaces again. He didn’t know what else to do, and it was a good way to keep his hands occupied. Halfway through re-stringing the last shoe again, he noticed himself yawning. It wasn’t long before Rhett was yawning, too.  
  
Back in the sleeping position that was quickly becoming familiar to them, Rhett was curled around Link, Link’s back pressed against Rhett’s chest. Rhett had one arm across Link, and Link was so still, breathing softly, evenly, that Rhett was certain he was asleep. He pressed a small kiss into Link’s shoulder. Link froze, tensing up in Rhett’s arms. Rhett felt a momentary flash of panic.  _ What if that wasn’t okay? _ Link softened, then caught himself smiling into the darkness. He draped his own arm over Rhett’s, tracing shapes on the back of Rhett’s hand until they both fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Rhinkipoo and Clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for beta reading and always being there when I freak out about the little things. <3


	11. Chapter 11

“Boys,” Mama Cheryl eyed them over the bar on the Friday after Thanksgiving, setting cheeseburgers in front of them “We need to talk.” Her voice was stern but loving, the kind of voice they had come to expect from her whenever she had something important she wanted to talk about. But the feeling in Rhett’s gut said that something was different about this talk.

“Yes, Mama Cheryl?” Link spoke with a bite of cheeseburger tucked into his cheek, no longer as timid as he once was around her.

“Now, I’m saying this with all of the love in the world, so don’t panic. Are you two ever planning on actually going to LA? If you want to stay, if you want to work at the motel, that’s fine. I could use the extra hands. But when I met you two y’all were chasing a dream.” There it was. The words were out on the table in front of them. It was time to make a decision: move forward with their plans or stay there in comfort and safety.

Rhett and Link sat in stunned silence. They hadn’t thought this far ahead, hadn’t considered when would be the right time to leave Phoenix and move on to LA. They’d gotten comfortable here in a way that wasn’t helping them progress, but after getting so far from home, they felt like they’d already achieved so much.

“How about this?” Mama Cheryl continued talking, the boys still staring, silently figuring out what to do. “I need some help with the holiday crowd. Most of them clear out Sunday, so if you can help me clean rooms through Monday, you’ll miss the traffic of trying to hit the road this weekend. Then on Tuesday you can come here for breakfast and I’ll give you your pay for the hard work you’ve done for me. But if you really want to stay, if you feel like you need to be here a little longer, you can stay. It’s your choice.”

Mama Cheryl didn’t seem to be pushing them to decide, but instead she was reminding them why they’d come all this way to begin with. They hadn’t come here to spend the rest of their time in Phoenix. If they weren’t going to LA, they reasoned, they may as well have stayed in Buies Creek.

Rhett turned and looked at Link, and he was met with those big blue eyes staring back at him. Link swallowed nervously, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and Rhett nodded softly.

“Okay, Mama Cheryl. That sounds good. We’ll work this weekend and leave Tuesday.” Once again Rhett spoke for both of them, and his stomach fluttered with excitement and fear. When they’d left home, he had no doubt in his mind that LA was the end game for them, that they’d make it, but through their journey, his focus shifted away from their destination. Instead, he gave his attention to each part of their journey, and, eventually, to Link himself. Now, LA was placed firmly in the forefront again, and it was time to go or admit that this wasn’t about making films anymore after all. That maybe this was simply about doing whatever it took to avoid going back home.

As they settled into their motel room for the night, Link was the first to speak the fear into the air. “Rhett, what do you think would actually happen if we had to go back to North Carolina?” Rhett had never heard Link talk about North Carolina without calling it home. Either he was calling it by its proper name to provide emotional distance, or it maybe didn’t feel like home now.

“I think… I think that we’d probably… probably…” Rhett choked on the words, a lump in his throat. He had avoided the question each time it had come up before.

“We probably wouldn’t get to see each other anymore,” Link finished for him, folding a shirt and placing it in the dresser. He picked up another, folding it as Rhett crossed the room to him. Rhett took the shirt from his hands and placed it on top of the dresser, then pulled Link into his arms.

“I can’t lose you, man.” Rhett shuddered at the thought, and Link wrapped his arms around Rhett, his fingers running along Rhett’s spine gently.

“You won’t,” Link spoke into Rhett’s chest, and for a long time, they stood there, holding each other and considering what was going to come next, both in their journey to LA and in their lives. “You won’t,” Link repeated, as much to himself as to Rhett.

* * *

Link had gotten the hang of stripping the beds and remaking them quickly. In fact, they were both flowing through rooms with ease now, and cleaning up after the Thanksgiving guests who had stayed at the motel while visiting loved ones was not as intimidating as they’d expected. They knew the weekend would be a steady stream of check-outs and, therefore, rooms to clean, but many people must have been feeling generous after the holidays, because they were leaving good tips behind.

Link was thankful for each tip they got, knowing every dollar would count when they got to LA. Would they find a job right away? Surely not. They’d gotten lucky in Phoenix, Mama Cheryl offering them respite before they’d even gotten the chance to ask.  _ Had they actually come to the diner just over two weeks ago hoping not to spend too much of their money on cheeseburgers?  _ Link marveled at the fact that they’d worried about how much they could safely spend on the burgers, only to end up not paying for them at all. They got food, a place to stay, a job, and wisdom from Mama Cheryl, who encouraged them to pursue their dreams even if she did think they should have stayed in Buies Creek. “Well, you’re here now, and you’ve made it this far,” she’d once told them. “No sense in looking back too much if this is what you’re sure you want.” 

Rhett whistled a tune as he cleaned the sinks of the motel room, re-stocking the toiletries and discarding the used ones. As they emptied the garbage and tied new liners into each bin, they talked about what they’d do with their remaining time in Phoenix. “We should go to the river one more time, man. Even if we don’t swim.”

Link knew why Rhett suggested it. The river reminded them of home, of where their journey had started, long before they’d decided to leave. Their journey was forged in promises shared at the banks of the Cape Fear River, their relationship made stronger beside the Gila River when Rhett had held Link to keep him warm. It deserved one last goodbye before they headed to Los Angeles, so they’d give it one. Rhett suggested that they go on Monday, their last night in Phoenix. Monday seemed so distant until Link realized it was Saturday.  _ In three and a half days we’ll be in LA. _ He knew the drive wouldn’t take long, and they’d be there before nightfall Tuesday night.

After work, and after dinner at the diner, Rhett carried the blanket they’d bought miles before to the back of the parking lot between the diner and the motel, spreading it out on the ground. They’d done this a few times in Phoenix, but Rhett realized the gravity that this time might be the last while they were here. As he lay down to look up at the stars, Link curled in closer to him than he had on any of the other nights they’d done this. He was feeling the gravity of the moment, too. Rhett nudged his arm against the top of Link’s head, Link lifting it just enough to rest it on Rhett’s arm. They lay there, gazing up, pointing out favorite constellations to each other and making up stories about the mythical beasts that lived among the star shapes above them. Link propped himself up on one elbow, looking at Rhett instead of the sky.

“What are you lookin’ at, Link?” Rhett suddenly felt self-conscious, so small compared to the vast sky above.

“Just looking at you, bo.” Link smiled and dipped his head to press a kiss to Rhett’s lips. In the two days since their kiss on Thanksgiving, they’d hugged and they’d curled close in bed, but neither of them had been willing to upset the careful balance of their friendship, and neither of them had tried to make any sort of move past small gestures of affection. But this time, as Link began to pull away from the kiss, he felt Rhett’s hand slide behind his head, fingers running through his hair, and it made him lightheaded. Rhett’s tongue grazed Link’s lips, and Link parted them, inviting Rhett to deepen their kiss. Link was now fully supporting his weight on his elbows, one on each side of Rhett as they kissed, pulling away only to breathe. 

It wasn’t until a few minutes later, when they heard the door on the diner close and a jingle of keys, that they snapped away from each other, Link now sitting on one edge of the blanket and Rhett positioning himself on the edge opposite Link, as far away as they could get from each other while still sharing the blanket. They tried to act nonchalant, like nothing had happened, but they knew they’d been caught in the act.

Mama Cheryl walked over and Link panicked. He knew what would have happened back home if anyone had seen them like this, and he was fully prepared for them to be packing their stuff and leaving tonight, never seeing a dime from the hours at the hotel. Instead, Mama Cheryl placed her bag down next to the blanket on the sidewalk. “Can I join you for a second?”

“Sure,” Link’s voice squeaked, before he coughed and tried again. “Sure,” he repeated, deeper the second time.

She sat down on the concrete near the blanket, looking at Link and then at Rhett.

“I can practically hear your hearts beating out of your chests, you know,” she started. “But you two can stop being so dang jumpy. You’re not in trouble.”

Rhett parted his lips to speak, but wasn’t sure what to say, so he closed them again.

“Why did you boys leave home?” she asked. They’d told her this story, and for a moment, Link wasn’t sure why she was asking again.

“To go to LA. To make films, to do something we’re passionate about instead of sitting in engineering school for years when we don’t even want to be engineers,” Rhett said.

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that. You know, Los Angeles is a lot different than North Carolina. It’s not totally different. There are still going to be people who aren’t okay with some things. But you don’t have to panic every time you look at each other, either.”

None of them were saying it, putting it out there that Mama Cheryl had caught them making out in the parking lot of her diner. Link wasn’t sure what had come over him, causing him to kiss Rhett so publicly, and he wasn’t sure what possessed Rhett to hold him into it, to deepen it. But somehow, they’d lost all sense of the fact that they were still in a parking lot somewhere instead of alone in their room. Had this happened back home, well, Link didn’t even want to think of the consequences. But Mama Cheryl didn’t seem mad or upset or bothered by what she had seen.

“Mama Cheryl?” Rhett looked at her, his eyes glassy like he might cry. “Thank you. For everything, I mean…” he trailed off, not mentioning that in this case, he meant more than the meals and job and room, but the safety she’d provided and the comfort of knowing that they were okay, that this was okay.

“Sure thing, sweetie.” She smiled at both of them and stood up, gathering her purse. “Don’t stay up too late. Lots of rooms to clean tomorrow.” Her voice was warm and soft. The boys stood, too, knowing she was right, that they should be going to bed soon. Rhett folded the blanket and they walked back to the room quietly.

That night before bed, Link didn’t press his back into Rhett’s chest like he’d been doing every night for days. Instead, he turned, facing Rhett, and they lay there quietly for a long time. Rhett’s fingers brushed Link’s cheek as he leaned in and kissed Link without hesitation. “G’night, Link.”

“Night,” Link smiled into the darkness.  _ So this is what it feels like. _

* * *

Sunday was the longest work day they’d had since getting to Phoenix. Most of the motel had been booked for the holiday weekend, and it seemed Sunday morning was the time they’d all decided to check out. The boys worked as quickly as possible, but it took them until after 8:00 at night to finish the last of the rooms. Mama Cheryl had stressed before work that there would be a lot of rooms to clean and that it might take them a while, but they hadn’t imagined it would take them as long as it did. They worked without taking a break, determined to finish. As they walked to the diner, exhausted from the long day of work, Rhett slipped his hand into Link’s. Link wondered how something could feel so natural, so normal, and yet still make him feel like his entire body had suddenly become electrically charged.

“Well, you two finished sooner than I thought you might!” Mama Cheryl presented the boys with two menus instead of placing a plate in front of them. “Order anything you’d like. The rush is gone, and you two worked all the way through lunch, I heard. You’ve got to be starving.” Their eyes scanned the menu, looking over everything. Mama Cheryl had largely given them chicken strips, fries, sometimes onion rings, whatever they had a lot of on hand. If it was a long day or they were out of the chicken strips, which were usually pre-cooked during rushes, she’d give them cheeseburgers instead. But the boys hadn’t explored the dinner menu outside of the burgers and chicken strips they’d eaten, usually too hungry and thankful to care about the other foods. Sure, they’d seen scraps of other meals when they were washing dishes, but having permission to order anything was a different story.

“You sure you’re okay with us ordering anything, Mama Cheryl? What you usually give us is just fine, really!” Rhett insisted, not wanting to be greedy after all she’d done. “Or we’d be happy to buy our dinner. You could take it out of our pay!”

“Anything. And you’re not paying for it. You’ll need that money in LA.” When Rhett was sure Mama Cheryl was okay with them ordering anything, he settled on chicken fried steak and a side of baked beans. Link, happy with what he’d been eating all along, stuck with a burger and some onion rings. Mama Cheryl delivered the food to their table quickly, bringing milkshakes along with it. “I hope you boys like chocolate?” It was refreshing, especially after the long day of work.

After dinner, the boys decided to pack their clothes. They left out what they’d need for Monday and Tuesday, and for their trip back to the river, but anything else, they placed inside of the bags. Link recalled the mixed emotions he’d felt when packing to leave Buies Creek, and realized he felt so similarly now.

Rhett pulled out the video camera. They’d filmed themselves cleaning a few rooms on the first day, careful not to get any sort of logos in the shot that might incriminate Mama Cheryl for helping them out, but it seemed redundant to film every single work day. They’d filmed a little bit Thanksgiving night, talking about how they’d eaten dinner with some friends they’d met along the way, but otherwise, the camera had remained off for days.

“Hey, Link. You going to be ready to get out of here and head to LA next?” The record light was on, Rhett catching Link’s movements as he carefully packed the rest of his clothes, then moved on to packing Rhett’s stuff, as well, since Rhett was filming.

“Yeah, man, I’m ready. I’m excited. I can’t believe we’re finally gonna be there!” He tried to make sure that only his excitement and none of his anxiety were captured on the tape, grinning wide and waggling his eyebrows at the camera. Rhett held the camera out, arms length away, to film himself talking while Link packed. He turned, trying to get them both in frame.

“We’ve got two more nights here, right, Link? Tonight and tomorrow? And then we’re headed out to the rest of our lives.” Rhett couldn’t think small, couldn’t think about how this was only the next step on the journey. For him, it was all about the entirety of the future, how LA represented everything that waited for them. As Link finished packing, Rhett turned off the video camera, carefully storing it so it wouldn’t get broken on the trip.

“You going to leave that out for us to take to the river tomorrow?” Link asked. They packed now to avoid having to pack the next day, hoping to soak in every second at the river they could.

“Yeah, we can take it, take some footage. But I just want to kind of, I don’t know, hang out, too, y’know?” Rhett tried to figure out how to say what he wanted to say without actually saying it, say that he hoped they could have some time together without the camera rolling at the river, time where they didn’t have to worry if anyone might see the way they looked at each other, or held each other’s hands, or even kissed each other.

They’d gotten lucky the other night that no one was in the diner when he’d so boldly walked in holding Link’s hand. Mama Cheryl already knew, of course, and so did Rick by default. Mama Cheryl told him everything. But even though they weren’t in Buies Creek, he didn’t need the whole world seeing how he felt on the video camera, a documentary that he hoped would help them make it big in LA. They had to be careful, at least when the camera was on.  _ Besides, all we did was kiss. Link might have simply been lonely and missing Jamie. Maybe I’m just lonely. I don’t even know. _ Rhett tried to convince himself that it was the loneliness causing him to feel so close to Link, but in his soul he knew they’d always been closer than most best friends.

Rhett tossed and turned that night, staring at the ceiling. He wasn’t sure what was keeping him awake, maybe the nerves from knowing they were getting ready to leave relative comfort and safety for something unpredictable. Maybe it was him trying to rationalize what he felt for Link, unpacking all of the feelings that he’d never let himself know back home.  _ Is that why I was so desperate to leave? _

“Rhett, you okay?” Link woke to Rhett’s restlessness, worried.

“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s fine, go back to sleep,” Rhett urged. Link knew better, and rolled over to wrap his arm across Rhett. He pulled him close.

“Talk to me,” Link said softly, hoping Rhett would open up about whatever was on his mind. Link released Rhett to rub his eyes, trying to wake himself up.

“What is this, Link?” Rhett sat up a little bit in bed, his eyebrows furrowed with worry.

“What do you mean?” Link asked.  _ What was what?  _ Link was tired, confused. He sat up and flicked on the light on the table next to him.

“Whoa, that’s bright!” Rhett threw his hands over his eyes, unsure if he was trying to block out the light or hide his embarrassment over what was going through his mind.

“Sorry,” Link mumbled, turning the light back off, but the jolt of brightness had been enough to wake him up, at least enough to talk. Rhett seemed worried, and there was no way he was going to sleep through that. Link yawned, leaning his head onto Rhett’s shoulder as they sat side-by-side on the bed in the dark.

“Like… what are we doing? ‘Cause I mean, with like… the kissing and stuff… I mean… are we…?” Rhett trailed off, hoping Link would fill in the blanks for him.

“Like are we boyfriends?” Link raised one eyebrow, the words hitting him fully for the first time. He hadn’t really thought about what they were, just that they were doing what they were doing and it felt good. He had felt safe in Rhett’s arms, both at the river and at night. He liked the way Rhett smelled, and how Rhett’s lips were so soft against his own. He liked feeling Rhett’s heart beat against his back, lulling him to sleep at night. Whatever it was, he liked it, but trying the word on for size, it was clear they passed friendship well before that kiss Rhett planted on his hair.

“Yeah, that’s what I was wondering.”

“Do you want to be?”

“Yeah, Link. I think so.”

“Then, yeah. I guess we’re boyfriends, then.” Link’s heart fluttered a little bit at the words. He hadn’t felt this kind of flutter before, not with Jamie, not with anybody.

“Okay. Night, Link,” Rhett said as he shifted back down under the covers, curling onto one side. This time, Link curled his body around Rhett’s, wrapping his arm around him.

“Night, Rhett.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endless thanks to shewasjustagirl/clemwasjustagirl and Rhinkipoo for their edits, encouragement, and beta reading. <3


	12. Chapter 12

Most of the holiday guests checked out of the motel on Sunday, likely headed back to their jobs and everyday lives after Thanksgiving. It meant that Rhett and Link had only a few rooms to clean that Monday. While they would have loved to have gotten the hours in to pad their LA fund a little more, Rhett was grateful for the lack of rooms to clean because it meant they’d get more time at the river that afternoon. He was prepared and had everything packed, including blankets so Link wouldn’t get so cold again. Going to the river was all he could think about as he scrubbed the tiles of the bathroom floor.

It didn’t take them long, three hours at most, to get all of the rooms thoroughly scrubbed and load the linens into the dryer. From there, they were free to say goodbye to Melody and Mama Cheryl for the afternoon and head to the river. The drive to the river was a quick one, and they didn’t need the directions, remembering the way they’d taken before. Rhett turned up the volume on the cassette they had playing, then reached to take Link’s hand. They sang along, windows rolled down, until they approached the parking lot.

“You feel like swimming today, bo?” Rhett asked, wondering if they’d need the blankets. When Link hesitated before he said no, Rhett grabbed them just in case. Better to be prepared. They positioned the camera safely nearby to film, close enough to hear them, but far enough away that it wouldn’t fall in the water. They sat side-by-side, precisely enough space between them that if anyone saw the film, their feelings for each other wouldn’t be so obvious. They seemed more like brothers, which is exactly what they wanted. There was still the chance that someone back home might see this, and they didn’t have to talk about it to know they both were okay with keeping their distance while the camera rolled.

Their feet dangled in the water as they reflected on Phoenix for the camera. Sure, they’d gotten some footage of their time in Phoenix, but padding it slightly with this reflection time felt like the best move before they continued on the journey. They aimed for casual conversation, but because they wanted to be so careful not to mention where they’d spent their last two weeks eating, sleeping, or especially everything that had shifted between them, it almost felt like they were interviewing each other as they talked about the highlights and the downsides of Phoenix. Rhett remembering how good the food had been. Link talked about how nice it was not to sleep in the car and how he wasn’t looking forward to the possibility of doing that again in LA. They knew it was a possibility, not wanting to spend money when they didn’t know how long getting a job would take. Naturally, neither of them mentioned the biggest event to happen in Phoenix -- their talk the night before. After a while, Rhett was convinced they had enough footage and encouraged Link to turn off the tape.

“Maybe I do want to go swimming,” Link suggested, nestling the camera into their bag. He peeled his shirt off over his head, and Rhett followed suit. Stripped down to their boxers, the two jumped in, yelping at the fact that the water was a little colder than they’d remembered it. The natural hot springs helped, but didn’t ease the chill from the air.  _ Thank goodness for the blankets _ , Rhett thought.

Link forced himself under the water, exhaling bubbles through his nose, smiling as he thought of the freedom of swimming, the escape he felt here. As he pushed to the surface, Rhett was leaning against the bank, watching him. He smiled, then swam towards Link, tickling him under the water until Link erupted with laughter. Link shoved him gently. “Come on, man, that’s not fair!” It didn’t stop him from laughing.

Rhett pulled him in for a kiss, his toes feeling the silty clay riverbed beneath him, the only thing keeping him grounded, stopping him from floating away from the sheer exhilaration. It didn’t take long for them to decide it was too cold to stay in the water, the hot springs only staving off the cool air for so long. Link toweled off, changing quickly into his clothes, wrapping his body in one blanket as he sat on the other. Rhett joined him, curling up in the blanket as well.

“I guess this is the last time we’re going to see this river. I mean, unless we come back to Phoenix someday.” Rhett felt a sense of sadness, saying goodbye to another home, the only other place he’d truly considered home in his life. He didn’t count where he’d lived before he moved to Buies Creek as home. It wasn’t home, because it didn’t have Link.

“Yeah, I guess it is. Kind of sad, isn’t it? Like, this is where all this kind of started.” Link lifted the his hand, not breaking their connection as he lifted Rhett’s with his own.

“Nah, buddy. This started way earlier than that, didn’t it?” Rhett tried to pinpoint exactly when it was he’d noticed they’d moved beyond being friends, but honestly, it was all a blur and he couldn’t pinpoint a time when it moved from distinctly being friendship to being something more. Maybe it was always varying degrees of both, a continuum that was ever-moving as they grew together.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Link leaned his head onto Rhett’s shoulder, their height difference making him fit perfectly there. They told each other lame jokes, recalled memories, and told stories to each other until the sun started to set and they headed back. Mama Cheryl greeted them at the diner with plates of cheeseburgers and onion rings. They washed their clothes in the laundry room of the motel, hoping to start the last leg of their journey with as many clean clothes as possible. And when they got back to their room, they were faced with the realization that they were returning to it for the last time. 

That night, they forced themselves to sleep, knowing they’d need their energy for the journey ahead. When they woke, it didn’t take them long to load their belongings into the car. Link stripped the sheets from his bed, then went downstairs to grab the cleaning cart. It only made sense that the last room they cleaned would be their own, and Link shed a few silent tears as they scrubbed away every sign of their shared time in this room, saying goodbye to this home one last time before heading to the diner to say actual goodbyes to Mama Cheryl and Rick.

As they ate breakfast, Link felt a lump in his throat.  _ Why is it so much harder to say goodbye here than it was back home?  _ he wondered for a second before it hit him.  _ Because I didn’t say goodbye back home. I just left.  _ He was actually having to say goodbye this time, and the gravity of that weighed heavily on him. Mama Cheryl placed an envelope between them. “It’s your pay for the hard work you’ve done.” Rhett thought it would be rude to count it right then, so he placed it in his pocket and thanked her. Before they left, she enfolded them each in a tight hug, reminding them that she’d written her phone number on the envelope in case they ran into any trouble. She told them they’d be welcome back any time if things didn’t work out in LA and they needed a place to stay for a few days. It wasn’t that far, not really, and the boys felt endlessly appreciative. She handed each of them a to-go box of food, stuffed with as many chicken strips, onion rings, and french fries as she could fit into it. It wasn’t time for the diner to start making chicken for the day; she’d had Rick make these meals especially for them and for their odyssey. As Link handed her back the key to the room, he noticed tears in her eyes and had to look away, trying to keep his own tears from spilling out.  _ This is it,  _ he thought. It was time for them to head to Los Angeles.

* * *

They got gas at the last possible station before leaving Phoenix, expecting it would be enough to get them to California. Link propped the camera on the dashboard, hoping to film the last leg of their trip. This was it, the last day of driving towards their destination. It seemed funny that they’d come so close and then stopped hours before the finish line, but he wouldn’t trade their time in Phoenix for anything. He tried to imagine what would have happened if they’d gone on to LA instead of meeting Mama Cheryl, but he couldn’t even think about it. It was far too strange to consider.

Rhett suddenly remembered the envelope of money that Mama Cheryl had passed him, so when he was sure they’d gotten a few minutes of the start of their drive filmed, he reached up and turned the camera off. 

He tossed the envelope into Link’s lap. “Here, count this. I didn’t want to count it in front of her, since I figured it would make her think we didn’t trust that she was paying us enough, but I didn’t do the math on our hours and was curious how much we got.” Rhett furrowed his brow. How many hours had they worked? He honestly didn’t know. He did know they’d sure gotten a lot of tips for the work, and whatever was in the envelope would be extra help once they hit LA.

Link counted the money, then quickly re-counted it. “Um, Rhett? This… this isn’t the right amount.”

Rhett could feel panic rising in his chest.  _ Well, I mean, at least we have the tips, and we need to be grateful for anything she could give us, _ he thought.

“What’s it supposed to be? Are we super short?”

“No, man. She gave us way too much.”

“How much?” Rhett’s heart started to race faster.  _ Was it a mistake? We’re too far away to go back now, dammit, I should have counted it!  _ Guilt coursed through his veins, and he felt frustrated at himself for not having caught the mistake sooner.

“Like $500 too much, man.” Link’s jaw dropped as he looked at the envelope for answers.  _ Had Mama Cheryl seriously miscalculated by that much? _ Just as he considered telling Rhett to turn back and make things right, that it was too much for them to ignore, he noticed a note caught under the envelope flap and read it aloud.

 

_ Good luck, boys. I know you can do this. _

_ I hope the little extra helps when you are tired of sleeping in the car. _

_ -C _

 

“She was too good to us, Link. I can’t even imagine how much she spent on feeding us and letting us stay there.”

“She saved our asses, man. We owe her so much.” The two of them sat in stunned silence for a long time, unsure what to say. They knew no words could ever be enough to tell Mama Cheryl thank you for everything she’d done.

* * *

 

As they reached a sign that said Los Angeles was only 5 miles ahead, Link picked up the camera, filming their approach from the window. He couldn’t believe that they were finally here, the City of Angels, the city that held the key to their future. He squinted his eyes as everything started to come into view. Right before a sign that welcomed them to Los Angeles, Rhett pulled the Dynasty to the side of the road.

“What are you doing, man?”

“If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right. We are walking across that line into LA. I mean, then we’ll walk back and get back in the car and drive across, but… symbolism, Link!” He grinned, his cheeks doing that thing they did when he was so endlessly happy, bubbling up to make his entire face glow.

Link spied the pair of dancing cacti on the dashboard, remembering the low point of their journey and all of the high points that followed. “No way, man. We’re dancing across.” He nodded towards the cacti, and Rhett followed his gaze. They both laughed as they got out of the car, placing the camera on the roof of the car to capture their first steps into their new home.

They looked at each other, then waddled like silly dancing cacti across the line, a hair past the sign. Afterwards, they ran back to the car, grabbed the camera, and jumped in, unable to  contain their laughter. Rhett clutched his chest with one hand as he fastened his seatbelt with the other, then he signaled to get back onto the road. They drove past the sign this time, into LA, minutes before sunset.

“What now? It’s a little too late to go job hunting,” Link said, munching on the last of the food Mama Cheryl had given him, long cold but still delicious. They’d found a park off of one of the exits, taking a break to sort out where they’d go next. He was sitting on the hood of the car, Rhett standing in front of him, snagging fries from his takeout container.

“Sleep in the car? We haven’t done that for awhile.” It wasn’t his preferred option, but as long as their bodies were well-rested from Phoenix, a few nights in the car wouldn’t kill them. t would save them some money, and the Los Angeles air was warm enough that they wouldn’t freeze to death in the late November weather. After polishing off the fries, Rhett leaned in and kissed Link’s cheek. “Ready?”

It didn’t take them long to find a rest stop where they could snooze. Link curled up in the back seat, with Rhett taking the passenger seat for the night.

“Wow, this is weird.” They’d shared the bed in the motel room for weeks now, and being in separate parts of the car felt so foreign.

“Yeah, it is. I don’t know if I can sleep without waking up to a face of your morning breath!” Rhett smiled, his eyes closed. It  _ was  _ weird without Link next to him, but at least they were finally in LA.

“I’ll remember that and just breathe on you when I wake up.” Link closed his eyes, too, and eventually they both drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you endlessly to clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl and rhinkipoo for their tireless work beta reading/editing/listening to me whine/loving my characters as much as I do. S+J would be nothing without them. <3


	13. Chapter 13

“Maybe we can’t find work because we stink, man.” Link lifted his arm to sniff under it, quickly pulling away. After three days in LA, they were having no luck finding a job, and there was a big part of Link that wondered if it wasn’t because they were also on their third day of trying to bathe with water from sinks at stores and gas stations. They were out of food, out of work, and out of options. That’s what led them to the grocery store, hoping to at least resolve the first issue.

“Well, we do have the money…” Rhett pondered. He wondered how affordable it would be to rent a hotel room, or better yet, find a place at one of those long-term motels that you could rent for a week or a month at a cheaper rate. It was probably more than they were willing to spend. They had the money from Mama Cheryl, sure, and about half of what they’d left home with. But if they didn’t find a job, it would only buy them a little bit of time. They couldn’t deny, however, that having an actual bed and a shower would probably help them get work. Sponge baths from a sink could only get them by for so long. Rhett carried the shopping basket through the store as Link carefully compared prices on essentials. They were aiming to get out of the grocery store without spending more than $30, but neither of them was sure it would buy enough to feed them for very long. At the checkout, Rhett asked if the cashier knew of the closest affordable extended-stay. She didn’t, but the store manager did, and she wrote down the directions and sent them on their way.

“Are you sure this is right?” Link asked, wide-eyed, as they continued down the road. The buildings around them were getting more run-down, the area looking seedier than Link was expecting.

“Well, I mean, we did ask for her to tell us someplace cheap.” Rhett figured they couldn’t be picky, not if it was going to be affordable.

The man at the front desk seemed half asleep. Rhett tried his best to negotiate the price, telling the man that they were simply looking for the longest affordable stay possible. Eventually, he offered them two weeks for $400. It was far more than they’d hoped it would be, but without another option aside from the car, Rhett sighed and handed over almost all of the extra money Mama Cheryl had given them, nearly a third of their remaining funds.  _ Two weeks. Two weeks to find a job before we’re back in the car and smelling awful again. _

That evening, they heard nothing but sirens. The AC unit worked, but only when it wanted to, and it dripped condensation into a damp puddle on the carpet underneath. The room had a hint of mold in the air, probably from the chronically wet floor. But it was better than sleeping in the car, and the shower got nice and hot, which is exactly what Link had hoped for at the end of the day. Plus, there was a tiny kitchen, nothing fancy, but enough that they could actually eat ramen or another microwavable meal. As Link showered, Rhett sat on the bed playing solitaire, thinking to himself how lucky they were that the man at the front desk didn’t ask for their IDs or names.

* * *

 

“Man, I give up.” By noon, Link was sick of hearing rejection after rejection. They had been to three different places and all three of them refused to hire the boys. They’d offered up their work experience and given Mama Cheryl’s phone number, but no one was hiring, or at least they weren’t hiring them.

“Hey, I don’t think we’re that far from the beach!” Rhett pulled out a small map of LA they’d picked up on their job search, trying to figure out where exactly they were. He figured maybe they could take a break for the afternoon, at least for a little bit, and get their minds off of being told no. Maybe they’d even find a place at the beach that would be willing to hire them.  _ Surely they have surfboard rentals or something. Maybe one of those places needs some employees. _

The boys found the beach, mere blocks away from where they’d been looking for work. As Link walked through the sand, Rhett slipped his hand into Link’s. Link looked around, but no one seemed to notice, so he smiled and gave Rhett’s hand a small squeeze. It felt nice, being able to walk hand-in-hand without anyone looking at them strangely. Back home, there was no way this would have been so comfortable, so easy.  _ This was worth running away for. _ Link knew that even if they never found work in the film industry, he’d be happy to find another job washing dishes or whatever it took if it meant being here, being with Rhett. Link had brought the camera along, filming when he could, getting footage of the seagulls above their heads and the waves crashing on the beach. They strolled to the boardwalk as Link turned off the camera to conserve the batteries.

The boardwalk at the beach had a few buskers, airbrush artists, and people making necklaces from grains of rice. A handful of tourists wandered around. It seemed that tourism never came to a complete stop in LA, the beautiful mild weather perfect for walks on the beach. It was a great chance for these people to sell their wares, and the buskers seemed to be making decent money by playing music, juggling, or showing off other talents.

“I wish I brought my guitar,” Rhett mused, thinking back to exactly where he would have left it in his bedroom. He and Link enjoyed goofing off in their band, but Rhett had truly become passionate about the guitar, and missed the feeling of its strings under his fingers. He looked at the buskers around them. “We probably could have made some money with it, too.”

“Hey, Rhett? There’s probably a pawn shop somewhere…. Maybe if we can find a guitar that’s not too expensive we could just do something like that for a while, play music or whatever and see if we can make some money that way.”

The boys found themselves in a pawn shop shortly before closing time, looking for the right instrument to take to the beach. “Sir? Do you happen to have an affordable guitar, something that would be good for somebody getting started with it?” Several quality guitars lined the walls, but they were well out of Rhett’s price range, and he was hoping to find something that wouldn’t cost too much of the money they had left.

“Well, what’s your price range? You bring that camera in to trade?” The man’s question was fair. Why was Link carrying the camera in the store if that option wasn’t on the table? But Link felt a catch in his throat, wondering if they were honestly willing to trade the camera for the one thing they’d need to make money here in LA since no one was hiring. Rhett pressed his hand against Link’s lower back before saying “No, we’re, uh… we’re looking to pay cash for it.”

“I’ve got this one.” The man pulled an acoustic guitar off of a rack on the wall behind him. “It’s marked at $70, but I’ll give it to you for $60 if you’re giving me cash tonight.” Rhett reached out for the guitar, strumming it carefully, as if asking if it was okay for him to test it out. The man passed it over, letting him look it over and play for a minute. It was a decent guitar, not nearly as good as the one he had back home, but something that he could use.

“We only have like $40 on us, sir. Would you be willing to take it?” Rhett knew it was risky, but he had to try. They’d do $60 if they had to, but that twenty dollars could make or break them when it came to eating for a few more days, especially if this gamble didn’t pay off.

“Lowest I can go is $50. Take it or leave it.” Rhett reached into his pocket, producing the money. As he finished the transaction, Link noticed something silver out of the corner of his eye.

“How much for the, um…” he reached his hand towards the counter, “the harmonica?” He didn’t want Rhett to be the only one trying to make them money on the boardwalk, and he didn’t know how to play guitar, but he could play the harmonica and thought it might be affordable. The man reached under the counter and passed it to him.

“Just take it, kid. No one plays the harmonica anymore. Well, I mean. I guess you do. But no one else has even asked about it.” The boys left $50 poorer, but with hopes that they’d earn it back and then some the next day at the beach.

* * *

 

Rhett sat on the bed in their room and plucked away at the strings, turning the tuning pegs and trying to get the guitar to sound like he wanted it to. Link spread peanut butter on bread, passing Rhett a sandwich before making his own. Rhett sat the guitar aside so he could eat, looking at Link.

“I miss Phoenix.”

“Me, too. I miss Mama Cheryl.” Link felt a pang of sadness when thinking about Phoenix. Mama Cheryl had truly become like a mother to them in the short time they’d known her, taking care of them in whatever way she could, and encouraging them to fly the nest when it was time. Link appreciated the gentle push, but he missed her, and he felt a closeness to her that he couldn’t explain. “We had to come to LA, though, didn’t we? Finish what we started?”

“Is it really finishing it, though? I mean, it kind of seems like the beginning in some ways. Like, now that we’re here, we have this whole place ahead of us, you know?” Rhett splayed his arms wide, cheek full of sandwich as he talked. Link loved that about him, how he constantly looked toward the future, and how he could see all of its possibilities.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Link finished his sandwich, lying back on the end of the bed. He listened as Rhett finished tuning his guitar and started strumming out a tune. It didn’t sound familiar, likely something Rhett was making up on the spot. After a while, he dozed off to the sound of the chords and notes Rhett was playing.

“Hey, Link. Buddy.” Rhett nudged Link lightly, “Come on. You gotta move, man.” There was no way Rhett could sleep on the bed sideways, not with his height, and with Link sound asleep at the end of the bed, he had no choice but to wake him.

“What’s going on, man?” Link rubbed his eyes, trying to see in the darkness.

“You fell asleep at the end of the bed, dork. Come up here the right way so we can both sleep.” Rhett tugged at him, trying to guide him towards the head of the bed.

“Oh, sorry, bo.” Link moved, sleepily, up to where Rhett was directing him, curling under the covers. He settled his head onto Rhett’s shoulder and immediately fell back into a deep sleep.

“Okay, so do we want to look for a job this morning and then go to the beach, or do we want to head over to the beach and see if that works and worry about a job later?” Rhett was pulling his tee shirt over his head as Link sat, perched on the edge of the bed, eating a handful of cereal.

“Let’s go to the boardwalk and see what happens. We’ve been searching for a job for days.” Link figured now that they’d bought the guitar, they should probably put it to good use. Driving around looking for a dishwashing position wasn’t exactly working, so it couldn’t hurt to try busking and see if they could make some money that way. They drove over to the beach, pulling the guitar and harmonica out, and walked along until they found an empty space to set up. Rhett opened the case in front of them, starting to play the same tune he was playing last night. It didn’t take Link long to figure it out on the harmonica, and Rhett’s solo became a duet, full of heart. Link watched Rhett, who was totally in his element standing there with his guitar, and he saw the passion and joy that Rhett was showing, so completely happy to have a guitar in his hands for the first time in nearly a month. Link could hardly contain his smile enough to keep playing the harmonica. The smile didn’t last long, though, as the boys failed to have much luck.

“Man, we’ve been here all morning and we don’t even have enough to buy lunch!” Rhett lamented as he looked in the case, the sun directly overhead. It may have been December, but it was nearly 60 degrees outside, so it wasn’t chilly by any means, not compared to back home. They’d been on the beach for four hours and only had five dollars in their guitar case. “Do you just want to call it a day?”

Link suggested they go for a walk and look for jobs at the shops near the beach. They could always come back later in the afternoon or evening and try again, and this way they’d still be trying to make money. After rejections at several of the shops near the beach, though, Rhett opened his case again as the sun was setting.

There were more people on the beach now, taking a sunset stroll in the comfortable winter air. Link shuddered slightly as the breeze picked up, and Rhett raised an eyebrow as if to ask if they should go home, but they played until the stars rose overhead. They’d barely made anything with their act, so Rhett was ready to call it quits for the night, fastening the guitar into the case. He and Link took a stroll down to the water, taking their shoes off so they could feel the ocean lap at their toes.

“It’s just so beautiful, Rhett,” Link thought aloud, watching the waves hit the shore.

“It is, isn’t it?” Rhett responded, but his eyes were fixed on Link, watching him take in the scenery, enthralled. He reached out to rest his hand on Link’s shoulder, and Link turned towards him. Link loved how Rhett looked, so confident and sure, the guitar case slung over his shoulder. He even blushed in the darkness as Rhett leaned down to kiss him, ever so gently. Link felt like he was in a scene from a movie, the two of them kissing under the stars, the sound of the ocean. The only thing that would have made it seem more picture-perfect would have been the swell of an orchestra. When the breeze picked up again, Rhett pulled Link close, rubbing his arms with his hands briskly to warm him up. “Let’s go home, baby.”

“Baby? Seriously?” Link scrunched his nose, trying to figure out if he liked it or not.

“I was only tryin’ it on for size, man. We don’t have to go with it.” Rhett laughed, pressing a hand to his chest. “We’ll figure something else out. I don’t know that ‘brother’ is the right choice anymore.”

“You can still call me brother if you want to, I think.” Link chuckled at the thought of “brother” no longer feeling right, that they were… that they were  _ boyfriends. _ Link still wasn’t fully used to it, the thought of he and Rhett being something so official, but at the same time, it fit. It made sense and it made his heart happy. He locked his fingers with Rhett’s, and they walked back to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you will never be enough to express how much gratitude I feel for my amazing Betas/Editors/Friends, Rhinkipoo and Shewasjustagirl/Clemwasjustagirl.


	14. Chapter 14

Rhett counted the money in the guitar case and realized that, nearly four days into standing on the boardwalk, they’d  _ almost  _ made back what they spent on the guitar. He thought perhaps that meant it was a horrible investment, that it meant they’d only made about $10 a day, but then realized anything on top of this was a profit. They’d figured out that the beach was its emptiest during the morning hours, so they spent the mornings looking for a place to hire them and the evenings at Venice Beach playing and hoping for some luck. When they were done each night, they’d sit under the stars and listen to the ocean before going back to the extended-stay.

The frustration was real, though, the time spent searching for work and not finding it. Rhett wondered if they’d made a bad decision, choosing to come all this way for no work. He wondered if they would have been better off finishing school back in Buies Creek and heading to LA before college, or at least staying in Phoenix.

“Do you think we should go back to Phoenix, Rhett?” Link must have been sharing Rhett’s thoughts about how much easier life was there as they got ready for bed that night. Their extended-stay would run out soon, with a little over a week left, and they hadn’t made anywhere near enough playing on the boardwalk to pay for another two weeks.

“I think we should wait until it’s the last possible option,” Rhett responded. They still had some of their money, but they were rapidly running out. Link had made sure they were holding onto enough for gas to get them back to Phoenix if they had to, a last-ditch backup plan in case things didn’t work out in LA. They knew Mama Cheryl would help them if they couldn’t get things figured out, but they didn’t want to use that option unless they had to.

The next day, they stood on the boardwalk once again, doing their best to stay cheerful despite no luck at all. Their case remained completely empty a full hour into their set, as they played every song they knew.

“You two must be new here.”

“Uh, yeah, pretty new. We’ve been here about a week, I guess. I’m Rhett,” Rhett extended his hand to the short, thin boy that stood in front of him. The boy wore a tropical shirt, open, over a white tank top, and he had scruff covering his face.

“Jack,” the boy said. He looked like he was around their age, maybe slightly younger, but Rhett wasn’t sure if he was actually younger or if his shorter stature made him appear that way. “You’re doing it all wrong, you know?”

“Um… can you, uh… can you help us? Figure it out, I mean?” Link said hesitantly.

“Yeah, no problem. First off, you’re making yourselves look like you’re no good. There’s no money in your case.” Jack gestured toward the open guitar case. “You’re going to want to start with some seed money. Handful of coins, maybe a couple of ones and a five if you have it. Makes you look like you’re talented, worth tossing some coin to.” Link reached in his pockets, grabbing what he had and tossing it in the case. Jack reached down and picked up the ten Link had tossed in, handing it back to him. “No, man, that’s too much. You want more than five bucks, less than ten, like you’ve been working hard all day, but not like you have enough money that people shouldn’t contribute. Anytime you get to more than $10, clear it out a little when no one is looking. And, uh, try to play stuff people know, stuff they like. Don’t play your own stuff.”

“Thanks, Jack, seriously. That helps a lot. Do you, like, do this?” Rhett gestured around the boardwalk at the other buskers.

“Yeah, I juggle. Usually just right up there.” Jack pointed halfway up the boardwalk, shrugging his shoulders. “You guys from around here?”

“No, we’re...we’re from Phoenix,” Rhett lied. It wasn’t totally a lie, they had lived there and thought of it as home for a while. But he didn’t know Jack, didn’t want to tell him where home actually was, just in case it mattered. “What about you?”

“Nah, man. I hitchhiked here from Oklahoma. Couldn’t take it anymore, needed to get out.” Jack lifted his eyebrows, like he was thinking about something. “Listen, you’re probably not going to get much more today than you have already. In the winter, it’s pretty dead here except on Saturdays. You’re going to want to make sure you’re here all day then, though. There will be a lot more people.”

“So… Saturday? Nothing else?” Link asked, hoping that they had more options than Saturdays alone to earn their money. They still had two days until Saturday and needed to earn some money before that.

“Pretty much only Saturday during the winters, yeah. By spring, you’ll be able to stretch a full weekend out of it, though. Maybe tomorrow night. Maybe.” Jack nodded slightly. “Hey, I’m going to go for a walk, but if you guys want to meet up here later, we could grab a beer.”

“Oh, we’re, uh… we’re not…” Link started.

“I know. Obviously. I’m not, either. I know a guy, it’s fine. So, we’re cool? See you in, like, three hours?” They agreed and Jack headed towards the water.

“Man, if nobody’s gonna be here until Saturday, why don’t we call it a day?” About an hour after Jack left, Link slumped his shoulders a bit, feeling defeated. If only they would have known days ago that Saturdays were the only days they’d do well, they wouldn’t have wasted so much time on the boardwalk during the week.

“Sure, buddyroll. Let me stash the guitar in the trunk and we’ll just go for a walk.” They spent the next couple of hours walking along the beach, hand in hand. As they approached where they’d been on the boardwalk, Jack was nowhere to be seen. They approached a surfboard rental place, hoping to see if they were hiring, but it had already closed for the day.

“Hey, guys, wait up!” Jack hollered, sprinting towards them. His eyes locked on Rhett and Link’s joined hands, and they pulled apart immediately. “Oh, I didn’t realize you two were, uh… well, I mean, don’t stop on my account. It’s cool.” The air settled awkwardly between them. “So, beers. Right? Right. Follow me.” Jack rubbed his hands together, then turned and led the way down the boardwalk, approaching a man who was leaned up a railing near the end of it.

“Hey, Tony,” Jack said, sitting down next to the man. “This is… uh, what’d you two say your names were?”

“I’m Rhett, and this is Link.”

“Hear that, they’re Rhett and Link. Listen, Tony, you gonna hook me up tonight?” Jack reached out a hand, pressing something into Tony’s hand, and Tony smiled and nodded. He slipped Jack a small bag, which he immediately stuck in his pocket, then passed him three bottles of beer from a sack next to him, Jack passing the first bottle to Rhett to hold the other two.

“Be safe, boys,” Tony muttered, reaching for the bottle that was planted next to him. Jack gave Tony a nod, passed Link one of the bottles, then started walking towards the water again, and Rhett and Link took it as their cue to follow him. They each drank, Jack taking large gulps, Rhett and Link slow sips.

“So you hitchhiked here?” Rhett asked, bewildered at the thought. It hadn’t even crossed his mind for he and Link to hitchhike, but it made sense.

“Yeah. There’s a truck stop like two miles from my house. I asked someone where they were going, jumped in the truck, and I’ve never looked back, man. I’ve never looked back.”

“What were you leavin’ for?” Link asked, wondering what could have possibly happened to Jack that would make him decide to hop in a random truck with someone he didn’t know.  _ What happened to us that made us run away? Being pushed to go to a different school than we wanted to? _ Maybe it wasn’t a big deal.

“My mom’s boyfriend, man. He was pretty rough, roughed me up pretty bad, too. I just couldn’t take it, so I split.” Jack’s voice sounded hollow, like he didn’t want to think about it.

“Oh.” Silence lingered in the air between them, hanging heavily. They walked without a word, the waves crashing on the shore beside them as they walked, long enough for Jack to finish his beer, long enough for them to see the boardwalk grow small in the distance.

“Well, I’ve gotta go. Have to find out where Tony’s crashing for the night, see if I can join him. See you Saturday?” They said their goodbyes, and Jack tore through the sand toward the boardwalk.

“Wow, man, that was… that was heavy.” Rhett sighed, neither of them sure what to say. As Rhett turned back toward the car, Link followed. Neither of them finished their beers, instead discarding them in a nearby trashcan. That night, neither of them had much to say, as though the conversation with Jack had made them wonder if they left home for the right reasons after all. But in bed that night, as soon as Link wrapped his arm around Rhett, who curled up against him as the little spoon, Link knew they did the right thing.

* * *

 

Jack was right about Friday night. It was slightly busier than the week had been, and the uptick in tourists walking the boardwalk made Rhett think that Saturday was going to be a great day, too. Link had started their case out with seed money, exactly like Jack had shown them, and within hours, they’d already had to clear out the extra a couple of times. Link wasn’t sure if it was because of the money they’d put in the case, or because there were more people, but either way he was grateful to Jack for the advice. He peered each way down the boardwalk, but didn’t see him anywhere. Link wanted to tell him thanks.

The boys played well after the sun set, until the airbrush stall next to them closed down for the night and the caricature artist down the way started cleaning up his supplies. Link picked up the money out of their case. “I’ll count it in the car, but it looks like we did better tonight, man. You picked some great songs!” Link usually followed Rhett’s lead as he played, doing his best to figure out the tune. Any songs he couldn’t quite get on the harmonica, Link simply stood at Rhett’s side, sometimes singing along.

“Yeah, and hopefully tomorrow will really help.” Rhett was excited about the prospect of Saturday being busier. They undoubtedly needed to earn some extra money if they were going to continue renting their room at the extended-stay place. The last thing Rhett wanted to do was tap into the very last of what they had from Phoenix.

Their plan for Saturday was to get to the boardwalk early to secure their spot and make the most of the busiest day of the week. Thankfully, they arrived right as the crowd was starting to take their walk on the beach. They’d gotten lucky-- the day was unseasonably warm, even for southern California, meaning there were a lot more people who could listen to their music. A few people tipped money into their case, and a few more asked if they took requests. If the boys knew the song, they did their best to play it.

The boys didn’t even stop playing for lunch. If Saturday was their only shot at this kind of crowd, they were going to make the most of it and play until the beach cleared out. In the late afternoon, Link spied Jack down the boardwalk, giving him a quick wave. Jack nodded his way, careful not to let any of the balls he was juggling drop. Link couldn’t imagine how he managed to do that so easily, so gracefully. He wondered if it was a skill he’d learned out here, or one he knew from back home and was honing here.

“Hey, that’s my spot!” a guy with a guitar, shorter than Rhett but definitely more buff, walked up, getting entirely too close to Rhett for Link’s comfort.

“Sorry, man, we didn’t know. We can move up the boardwalk.” Rhett didn’t want any trouble, but he’d never seen this guy before. He wondered how it could be his spot when they’d been here all week, and this guy hadn’t been here at all, but maybe he was just part of the Saturday crowd.

“What, you think we need two guitarists on this boardwalk?” He pushed his fingertips into Rhett’s shoulder, and Rhett winced. “Go home.”

“We’ll, uh, we’ll move. Really, I’m sorry. I don’t want any trouble.” Rhett placed the guitar in the case, then stood up. Before he could see it coming, the stranger landed a punch solidly against Rhett’s face. Rhett’s nose started bleeding immediately. Link shoved the stranger, hard, causing the guy to land on his butt on the ground. Link lost his balance, his ribs in his side and back slamming against a boardwalk railing.

It didn’t take long, however, for the stranger to stand up and charge toward Link, who was spry enough to move out of the way before they could make contact. Frustrated, the stranger turned, punching Rhett in the face again. Link grabbed the stranger, pulling him away from Rhett, then turned him and landed a solid headbutt right against his nose.  _ Oh gosh, oh shit, that freakin’ hurt. Oh gosh.  _ Link hadn’t expected a headbutt, intended to hurt the stranger, to hurt himself so much, but it did. Luckily, the stranger crumpled.

Jack noticed the commotion and bolted toward them. “Guys, get out of here, get the hell out of here before someone calls the cops. You cannot get busted. GO!” Rhett grabbed the case, and he and Link ran. They’d assess the damage later. As Link took a risky glance back toward the boardwalk, he saw the stranger running in the opposite direction. He figured none of them thought it was worth getting busted. Jack was nowhere in sight. Link knew he and Rhett were both bleeding, but everyone around seemed focused on getting to the beach, barely taking notice of the blur of limbs running past them. It wasn’t until they were almost to the car that someone hollered after them “Hey, you guys okay?” Link merely waved a hand and continued to run towards the car.

Rhett tossed the guitar case into the trunk, and both of them piled into the car. Rhett started back to the hotel as Link looked him over. “Wow, you look like crap, Rhett.” Link felt a little weak, the sight of the blood starting to get to him.

“Don’t think about it, buddy, I’ll be fine. Let’s just get back to our place and worry about it there.” When they returned to their temporary home, Rhett helped Link into the extended-stay. Rhett was arguably more injured, but Link was definitely woozy from trying to take stock of their combined injuries in the car. Rhett encouraged him to lie down, but Link walked over and wet a washcloth with cold water. He pressed it to Rhett’s nose and busted lip, trying to be ginger, but Rhett winced at the touch. Link started to pull away, but Rhett placed his hand over Link’s to hold it in place. It hurt, but he needed it, the cool cloth relieving some of the pain.

“Yours doesn’t look good, Link,” Rhett’s fingers gently brushed across Link’s brow bone and the bridge of his nose, bruised from the headbutt he had delivered to the stranger.

“Yeah, well, I bet yours looks worse,” Link said with a chuckle, then winced. His ribcage hurt badly, and he reached his arm around himself to touch it. Rhett noticed, lifting his shirt to look.

“Oh, gosh, Link… that looks really bad. Rhett reached his fingers out, but let them hang in the air several inches away, afraid to touch the already-bruised skin. A large stretch of purple already covered Link’s side. Rhett silently prayed that Link hadn’t cracked ribs in their scuffle, wondering what they’d do if either of them needed serious medical attention.

As Link pulled his hand away from Rhett’s face, the washcloth reddened with dried blood, he noticed how badly split Rhett’s lip was, how swollen his nose and cheek were. He had a black eye forming, too.

“We’re going to have to go get some medicine or something. At least pain relievers, man, something.” Link sighed, frustrated with the thought of spending any money right now when they obviously didn’t want to end up sleeping in the car again, but knowing how badly they needed something to keep them from hurting quite so badly. He knew they’d both feel worse, more sore, in the morning. “Oh!” Link gasped, as a trickle of blood started again from Rhett’s lip. Link gently pressed the washcloth to Rhett’s lip again, hoping to stop the bleeding for good this time.

Rhett stared into Link’s blue eyes, full of worry and sadness. Link stared back, trying to blink back tears. His brow was furrowed as he studied Rhett’s face for signs of pain.

“Hey, shhh, it’s okay.” Rhett trailed his fingers gently up and down Link’s forearm. “It’s all gonna be okay.”

“It doesn’t feel okay right now, Rhett,” Link said softly, sniffling. “I’m worried it’s never gonna be okay.”

“Link. I promise you, it will always be okay. As long as we’ve got each other, it’s going to be okay.” Rhett’s voice was firm, but quiet, and Link turned his head, a tear betraying him as it slid down his face. “Look at me, baby.” This time Link didn’t protest the pet name as Rhett reached his hand out, gently touching Link’s chin to turn his face towards him.

Link turned without much resistance, looking Rhett full in the eyes. Rhett wiped his tears from his face.

“I love you.” Rhett had known he loved Link for a very long time, but this was the first time he’d ever spoken the words aloud, even after all of the nights curled up together, even after their talk about what the changes in their relationship meant. “I mean it. And I’m not letting anyone hurt you ever again.” As Rhett stared up into Link’s teary eyes, he sincerely hoped he could actually keep the promise he’d just made.

“I love you, too.” Link leaned forward and kissed Rhett’s cheek, the one that wasn’t bruised, softly. He winced at the movement. “Let’s go get some pain meds.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU to rhinkipoo and clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for beta reading this chapter!


	15. Chapter 15

In the darkness, Link stumbled, trying to find the bottle of ibuprofen. He felt along the top of the small desk, hoping that he could grab it without waking Rhett. His whole body ached, his rib cage throbbing painfully. Instead of the pill bottle, his hand landed against the bag of first aid supplies they’d purchased, sending it to the floor in a loud clatter.

“Link? You okay?” Rhett sat up, blinking in the darkness.

“Yeah, sorry. Go back to sleep.” Link winced, partly from the pain of bending down to pick up everything he had dropped, and partly from the guilt over waking Rhett by knocking into the bag. Rhett must have heard the pain in his voice because the bedside light clicked on. A few items -- bandages, a wrap, and a second bottle of painkillers -- lay barely out of reach. Link moved to get them, compressing his side as he bent. He inhaled sharply, the pain making him lightheaded. Rhett rushed to his side just in time to steady him, wrapping Link in his arms and gently pulling him onto his lap.

Rhett reached a long arm out, grabbing the second pill bottle and popping it open, peeling back the foil seal with his teeth. He shook out three capsules into Link’s open hand. The bottle said two, but there was no way that would cut through the pain Link was in. Link tossed back his head, swallowing the pills without water, then curled up against Rhett. Rhett trailed his hand up and down Link’s spine. “It’s gonna be okay. It’s all gonna be okay.”

“Rhett, how are we gonna work looking like this?”

“Well… I think going back to the boardwalk probably isn’t a good idea, is it?” Rhett sighed.  _ What other option was there?  _ While they had enough to extend their stay another two weeks, money would run out soon if they didn’t find something steady. He’d hoped busking would be the ticket, but there was no way they could go back to the boardwalk and risk running into the mystery guitarist that had attacked them.

“No one is going to hire us with the way we look, though, man. Like… if you had a place, would you hire us? Even to work in the back? We’re a wreck!” Link was frustrated, exhausted, and sore. “I wish we never would’ve left Phoenix. We could have been happy there. We  _ were  _ happy there.”

“Yeah, but if that’s all there was to it, we could have stayed in Buies Creek, bo. We were happy there, too. Happy enough, anyway.” Rhett thought back to Buies Creek, but he wasn’t sure if they were happy so much as they didn’t know how much happier they could be if they weren’t there.

“Were we happy? Really?” It seemed like Link was reading Rhett’s thoughts, and they both settled into silence. As soon as the pain medication took effect, Link crawled off of Rhett’s lap and back into bed, encouraging Rhett to come back with him. Curling up together was out of the question, though, both of them too sore and too afraid of tossing and hurting the other in the night.

* * *

 

“Link! Link, wake up. Come on, baby, wake up.” Rhett shook Link, trying not to hurt his ribs, but his heart was caught in his throat. “Please wake up, please… come on, baby…” He could tell Link was still breathing, but it was nearly one in the afternoon and Link hadn’t stirred all morning. At first, Rhett wanted him to rest, hoping it would help him heal. Rhett had gotten up and taken his shower, staying quiet to avoid disturbing Link. But now he was worried, and he couldn’t help but try to wake Link.

_ What if Link isn’t going to wake up? What if he’s breathing but the rest of him isn’t working? Did he hit his head? I can’t remember if he hit his head! Why can’t I remember? Why can’t I remember if he hit his head somehow? Please, God, please don’t let Link die. _

He jostled Link harder, still avoiding the side with the bruises. He kissed Link’s forehead, then gave him one last hard shake.

“Ow, shit, man, what are you doing? That freakin’ hurt!” Link rubbed his eyes and blinked, but Rhett immediately wrapped his arms around him, careful still with Link’s side, and hugged him.

“Oh thank God, you’re okay.” Rhett could feel his racing heartbeat start to slow as he struggled to catch his breath after the panic he’d felt rising in his throat. The pit in his stomach started to dissipate as Link fully came to.

“Why wouldn’t I be? Can you hand me the ibuprofen?” As Rhett passed Link the medicine he requested, Rhett wondered if he should tell Link how long he had been shaking him trying to get him to wake up, wondering if they should go to the hospital, or if they even could. They didn’t have ID, didn’t have insurance. At home, Rhett’s dad would have taken him to the on-campus clinic at the University he worked at, but since they weren’t home, that wasn’t an option, and even if it were, it wouldn’t have helped with Link’s injuries at all, only Rhett’s.

This was something he never prepared for. He thought back to the night under the tree. They talked about money, sure, but they’d never discussed things like IDs or education or health insurance. Along the way, they’d managed to make things work, but what happened when they couldn’t get by on the help of people like Mama Cheryl?

He considered stuffing Link in the car and driving back to Phoenix right that second, knowing Mama Cheryl would probably have some sort of answer, even if she didn’t have a way of helping them or getting them medical attention. Then he remembered her phone number was in the envelope. He grabbed a handful of change.

“Link, are you sure you’re okay? I’m worried about you.”

“Yeah, man, I’m fine. I’m just going to watch some TV.” Link settled himself onto the pillows, taking Rhett’s pillow to stuff behind him so he was propped up. “You gonna come sit with me?”

“I’ll be right back.”

The nearest pay phone was not far up the road, less than a block away, outside of a nearby gas station. Rhett pressed the coins into it, then dialed the number shakily.

“Hello?”

“Mama Cheryl! It’s Rhett! I don’t have long to talk, I’m not sure how much change I have, but I’m at a pay phone. Link got hurt. Actually we both did, but he’s more hurt than I am and I don’t know what to do and I can’t take him to a hospital and --” Rhett was finally forced to take a breath, frantic as he pushed the words out of his lungs, trying to give Mama Cheryl all of the information as quickly as possible before his time on the pay phone ran out.

“Slow, down. One thing at a time. Link is hurt? You’re both hurt? What happened?” He could hear the worry in her voice, and he felt guilty for putting this on her, but who else could he call?

“We were playing music at the boardwalk and a guy got mad that we were in his usual spot. He picked a fight and hurt us. But this morning, it took Link a long time to wake up, and he has a real bad bruise on his side, near his ribs. I’m kind of worried maybe he broke something? He was still breathing, but he didn’t wake up until I shook him.” Rhett still hadn’t slowed the pace he was talking to Mama Cheryl, not much, afraid that if he didn’t get a chance to tell her everything, he’d somehow be hurting Link.

“Okay, well, sometimes when bodies need healing, they need rest. He might have been sleeping to heal. But if he keeps dozing off, keeps not waking up, you’ll have to take him to a hospital. They should treat him without any insurance, but they’ll probably ask you some questions, so you need to be prepared for that. But if he isn’t getting better, or if you aren’t, you have to go to the hospital. It would be better for you to end up… you know… than being stubborn and one of you getting worse, or us losing one of you. You have to do the right thing. Even if it’s scary or even if you might… get sent back home.” 

Mama Cheryl hadn’t wanted to say the last part, Rhett could tell. He figured that she knew they’d do anything to avoid going back home, and the last thing Rhett wanted to think about was how angry their families would be, how hurt they would be, and the punishment they’d each face. But Mama Cheryl was right. If it came down to it, he’d have to get Link help, even if it meant they’d have to go back home.

“Okay. If he gets any worse, then I’ll take him--”

“You have one minute remaining. Please insert more coins to continue the call.” A mechanical voice interrupted Rhett’s promise to take Link in if things didn’t improve.

“Mama Cheryl? I have to go. Thank you. I promise I’ll take him if he gets worse.”

“Okay. I love you, tell Link I love him, too. You two stay safe and call me if you need me. And remember there’s always a place for you here.”

“I know. We love you, too, Mama Cheryl. Bye.” Rhett placed the phone back in the cradle, then walked back to the motel.

When he got back, Link was smiling and eating a handful of cereal as he watched TV. Rhett felt relief wash over his body. He couldn’t have been gone from the room more than 10, maybe 15 minutes, including the time it took him to walk to the phone and back, but in the back of his mind, he had feared coming back to an unconscious Link, or worse.

“Where’d you go, buddy?” Link grinned his cockeyed smile, and Rhett told him about his talk with Mama Cheryl, filling him in on her suggestion to go get medical help if it got any worse.

“I just… I’m worried, man. You slept for a long time and I was afraid you might not wake up.” Rhett’s voice quivered, his concern catching in his throat.

“Hey,” Link said as he placed a finger along Rhett’s jawline gently, turning Rhett to look at him. “I’m gonna be okay. I was tired, probably from tryin’ to find the medicine in the middle of the night. But I feel a lot better today. Let’s give it a couple of days, let ourselves heal, and then we’ll go find someplace to work. We’re going to figure this out, Rhett, but you can’t panic every time I sleep a little longer or you’re going to stress yourself to death.”

Rhett leaned in and pressed a very soft kiss to the side of Link’s mouth, careful not to hurt either of them, disturb their still-fresh wounds. “Okay. But promise me you’ll tell me if you feel worse?”

“Promise.”

For the next few days, they tried to completely shut it out of their minds. There was no way they’d be able to find work until after the swelling on their faces and bodies went down, until the bruises started to fade. They filled their time with card games and television. They lay in bed and talked, sharing daydreams about the future. Link rested his head in Rhett’s lap as Rhett played with his hair, talking about all the things they’d do when they got hired at a film studio someday, described the kind of apartment they’d live in.

“We could get a dog,” Rhett said.

“A dog? Come on, man, you have the worst luck with dogs! She’d probably run away or die or somethin’!” Link laughed, “But yeah, we could get a dog.” Link loved when Rhett talked like this, talked about the future they’d share, no doubt in his mind that they’d be spending it together, living out their dreams in LA with each other.

Before their bruises fully faded, they propped the camera on a desk and talked, sharing the story of what happened that led them to get so banged up and bruised. They shared the story of someone they had met along the way, telling Jack’s story without any real details and without naming names, and talked about how things were a lot harder than they’d imagined they would be.

Rhett talked about his worry that if they had to go to the doctor, that they’d miss out on the chance to make a name for themselves in LA. He didn’t get specific, didn’t tell the camera his fear that they’d end up being sent back to Buies Creek, but the implication was there. It was the first truly clear, frank conversation they had about the struggles they’d faced. Sure, they’d shown their troubles with running out of gas, talked about the parts of the journey that weren’t as easy, but for the first time, they laid it all out on the table, how they’d failed to calculate the true cost of living alone. In the end, they agreed to the camera and to each other that it was worth it, and it felt good to be brutally honest. In their honesty, they never once mentioned how their relationship developed, but Rhett knew that there was a chance anyone watching the tape would see it anyway, see it in the way he looked at Link or talked about his worry over Link’s injuries.

In the video, they mentioned their concerns over running out of money if they didn’t find work soon, but off-camera, they refused to talk about it. One time in the four days between the fight and having to figure out what to do for lodging next, Link had brought up his fear that they’d run out of money.

Rhett answered by kissing him, gently lowering Link onto the bed. For the first time, he moved his kisses down Link’s jawline, down his neck, gingerly lifting his shirt. He didn’t want to hurt him, so he carefully pressed feather-light, barely there kisses along Link’s ribs. Link didn’t seem to flinch, instead arching his back into the kisses. Neither of them was willing to move past that, though, and they settled into these longer kisses, hands grazing each other’s backs, chests, rib cages. It was enough to calm Link’s mind, distract him from their worries about money, at least for awhile.

But Rhett hadn’t forgotten the concern, and as he walked to the front desk to extend their stay by two weeks, he knew that if they didn’t find a source of income soon, in two weeks they’d be back sleeping in their car. They’d be about $100 short of another extension on the extended stay, so the pressure was on to find a job and figure it out now more than ever.

  
Rhett could feel the clock start counting down as he handed the money to the man at the desk, asking to extend their stay two more weeks.  _ Two weeks. Only two weeks.  _ His face injuries had moved from deep purple to yellow and green, but he still wasn’t sure anyone would hire them looking the way they looked.  _ Doesn’t matter… we don’t have time to keep waiting to heal. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for editing and beta reading this chapter! <3 Love you both!


	16. Chapter 16

“I just can’t freaking do it!” Link slammed his hand on the bed, but the soft  _ fluff  _ of the bedding was entirely unsatisfying. “I want to go back to Phoenix! I don’t even want to be here anymore.”

“Oh, right, and throw all of our dreams of being filmmakers away. That’s real smart, Link. Real freakin’ smart.” 

It was their first fight since becoming more than best friends. Sure, they’d fought plenty of times in their lives, but it was never like this. This felt electrically charged now that everything was on the line. For Rhett, it was LA or bust -- they had to finish what they started. For Link, it was starting to become too much, and he panicked about what they were up against.

“How many more times are we going to get told no, sit there and be told we’re too young or we aren’t experienced enough or they don’t need us? I can’t keep getting doors slammed in our faces. We’re almost out of money, we’re almost out of places to look.”

Link was furious, angry that Rhett wasn’t seeing how desperate things were. Their money was running low, food was getting scarce, and Link wanted security, security that would welcome them with open arms in Phoenix. Mama Cheryl had said they could come back, and right now, that’s all he wanted to do.

“So what, we leave, let the money we spent on this place go to waste for the week we have left, throw that away so we can go crawling back to Phoenix? We really  _ could  _ have stayed in Buies Creek if we weren’t ever going to actually do  _ shit  _ in LA!” Rhett had escalated, hurling his words across the room in anger.

“Really? Really, you’re going throw North Carolina in my face when this was your stupid idea in the first place? I followed  _ you _ , not the other way around, so don’t start that with me, Rhett. I don’t want to freaking hear it!” Link’s face was red, his hands balled into fists. He was still all the way across the room, so there was no threat that he’d actually hit Rhett, but for a second he seriously wanted to punch  _ something _ . If he’d been back home, he would have hit a wall, but at this hotel, they couldn’t afford to do any damage.

“You didn’t have to come, you  _ chose  _ to come! Don’t act like I dragged you into this without you wanting to. If you would have said no, we still would be there! You wanted to come just as much as I did! I mean, you didn’t exactly hesitate!” Rhett was fuming, pacing the floor with his long legs, back and forth, a few steps, then turning to take a few more steps. Back and forth.

“I came because I  _ trusted  _ you!” Link’s voice was getting even louder, a near-shriek, and for a second Rhett worried that their neighbors would hear them, would say something, or worse, call the cops over the noise. But he couldn’t blame Link. They’d been pushing at each other, picking, tired from the close quarters and still sore from the fight, frustrated with the rejection they were getting. It had bubbled to a head and neither of them seemed to be able to take it anymore.

“Link, I’m sorry… baby, I’m sorry.” Rhett took long strides toward Link, reaching out his arms. He didn’t want to wrap Link in a hug if Link was still too angry, but at the same time, all he wanted was to hold him. Link held out a single hand, palm toward him, indicating he should stop for a minute. Rhett didn’t move any further, but he kept talking quietly.

“I know. I dragged us out here, I had the half-formed plan. And yeah, I know, all of this is real crappy. We don’t have enough food and we’re running out of money, I know that. But you’re sitting here acting like I should regret it and I don’t. I just don’t. I can’t bring myself to regret coming out to LA, man. I feel like we’re supposed to be here!” Rhett was trying to justify it all to Link, like telling him how much this meant would make Link somehow feel better about it. At the same time, as much as Rhett was telling the truth, he was worried. The money, the time, he wasn’t overlooking that.

Phoenix was safe, comfortable, and Rhett wanted to go back more than anything. But he knew himself, knew Link too well. Comfort and complacency were the last things they needed. It didn’t make for a good documentary, and it definitely didn’t get them any closer to being filmmakers.

“I don’t regret it, Rhett. I never said I regretted it. I just… I can’t stay here and get turned down again. I can’t keep walking in and have them saying no. I want to go back to Phoenix. We know we have jobs there.” Link sounded defeated more than angry now, hurt. His hands were still clenched, but his breathing was slower, more even, and the redness had left his face.

Link didn’t regret coming here, he wasn’t lying, but they were happy in Phoenix. LA didn’t feel like home, hadn’t since they’d gotten here. LA felt like exhaustion, frustration, and even pain. None of that was Rhett’s fault, Rhett had been trying his hardest and Link knew that. But he was scared. If they would have stayed in Phoenix, the fight while they were busking would have never happened. If they would have stayed there, they’d have more money, wouldn’t be eating whatever they could find for under a dollar a meal, going to bed hungry more often than not since they were stretching what little they had. They’d be comfortable in their room in Phoenix instead of in this moldy dump they were in now.

Link let his head hang down, falling to his chest. He couldn’t blame Rhett, but he wanted someone to blame. He wondered if maybe Rhett’s dad was responsible for the blame instead, for pushing them into a decision they were too young to make. Because it wasn’t Rhett’s fault, not really. He started to unclench his fists, his shoulders softening, then his back.

Now that Link’s voice was soft, Rhett wrapped his arms around him, smoothing his hands along Link’s back. Link didn’t quite hug him back, his arms still hanging limply by his side. Instead, he buried his head into Rhett’s shoulder and broke down into tears, and Rhett could feel Link’s body shake with sobs.

“Can we compromise?” Rhett asked quietly, pulling Link back enough to study his face. He lifted Link’s chin with his finger, then moved his hand to wipe tears from Link’s eyes as his own eyes filled with tears. His words had hurt Link, saying they should have stayed home, acting like it was Link’s fault for following. When Link nodded, Rhett continued. “Our stay ends the day after Christmas, that’s how much we’ve paid for. If we don’t find anything by then, we pack our stuff and we go back to Phoenix. We can always come back to LA later. But we have to try the rest of the time here, give LA a fair shot. Can we do that?”

Link lifted up on his tiptoes and kissed Rhett’s cheek. He missed Phoenix, missed the comfort there, but Rhett was right. Going back to Phoenix now meant wasting nearly 2 weeks worth of the extended-stay that they’d already paid for, and there was no way the guy at the front desk would give them a refund on their cash.

“Yeah, we can do that.” Link sighed, resigning himself to the fact that it was the only option. They were in this together, and he couldn’t stay upset at Rhett forever. He loved him, and they were all the other had. Rhett wrapped him in his arms again, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, but then Link wriggled free. He sat down on the bed, not releasing Rhett’s hand but instead tugging Rhett toward him. “Would you really have stayed if I didn’t want to come with you?”

“Link, if you would’ve said no that night, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere. I didn’t just want to go to LA, I wanted to go to LA  _ with you _ . I didn’t want us givin’ up our dreams because my dad said we had to. If it was only me, whatever, I could be an engineer or go to college for basketball or go for one of the other dreams my dad wants me to have. But we made a promise, and I’m keeping that promise.”

It was those words that caused Link to practically knock Rhett over onto the bed with a kiss.  _ With you. _ Those were the words that Link needed to hear. That yes, this was about their dreams, but mostly this trip was about them. Link pinned Rhett to the bed, kissing him. 

The other day, when things had gotten so far, Rhett trying to kiss his bruises better, they took their time, very carefully trying to heal each other with gentle presses. This wasn’t like that. This was forceful, fast. Before either of them realized it, their shirts were off and Link was kissing down Rhett’s neck, his chest, down his ribcage, their legs tangled, Rhett’s hands in his hair and on his bare back.

Something stopped Link from going any further, though. He could almost hear his mom’s voice echoing in his head about how he should wait until he was married to do anything…  _ like that _ . So he stopped, trailing his kisses back up in the opposite direction of where he’d been going, slowing his pace down.

“Hey, Rhett?” he broke the silence between them. “Do y’think we’ll ever actually be able to get married? Like, is that even legal?”

He wasn’t sure why he wanted to know. If it was legal, he figured that maybe they could simply wait, but if it wasn’t legal… well, then what? Would they never do anything but make out and sleep in the same bed? Did he want to do more? Given his physical reaction to what they’d been doing moments ago, yeah, he did.

“I don’t know. I don’t think it is. I don’t know anybody who has, you know?” Rhett kind of pondered, trying to think of any men he know who had married each other, but he couldn’t remember. He vaguely remembered that one karate teacher that had lived in town for a year or two, and how he was pretty much always seen spending time with the baseball coach. He recalled that they both left town the same time. He knew that none of the adults in Buies Creek liked them. In hindsight, it seemed likely they were more than friends and that it had been the reason they’d left town. He couldn’t say for sure, though. That was years ago, and he’d only been a kid at the time.

“So what do we do if… if we can’t?” Link wondered aloud, sitting up in bed. They’d talked about it, about getting married. But if they couldn’t, what did it mean for them?

“Like, do we have to wait forever?” Rhett seemed to be on the same page as Link, wondering if the stuff they’d heard from their parents about ‘true love waits’ actually applied if they  _ couldn’t _ marry each other.

“I don’t know. I don’t know how it all works. But we don’t have to right now if you don’t want to…” Rhett sat up and gave Link a soft kiss on the cheek. “I’m not going anywhere. Not if we fight, not if we have to wait forever. I’ll still be here.”

“Me too.” Link leaned into Rhett’s shoulder and they entwined their fingers.  _ Even if I have to wait forever. _

* * *

Link was making good on his promise to compromise, and they had hit the ground running the next day by driving toward Hollywood, one of the more unexplored areas of their trip. They’d tried getting a job at the extended-stay they were living in, but that was shot down immediately by the disinterested man working the front desk. Before the busking, they’d asked all of the businesses immediately surrounding their extended-stay, too. It was clear they wouldn’t find a job without driving, so they needed to expand their radius, and every day they’d searched, they’d gone a little farther.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to want to hire them, especially as their bruises were still fading. When they stumbled upon a diner, though, there was no question they’d try to get work there. Outwardly, it looked pretty similar to Mama Cheryl’s diner, had that classic feel. They hoped inside they’d find the same mercy that Mama Cheryl had extended to them.

When they didn’t, the sting of rejection was worse than all the others before it. Link slumped down slightly as they started to make their way to the door, as if he wanted to make himself seem as small as possible. He felt defeated and frustrated with the number of no’s, and at this point, he figured he would accept any invitation for work without hesitation.

“Did I hear you boys were looking for work?” 

Rhett turned toward the voice, seeing a man who was nearly his height but not quite. The man’s jaw was firm, voice gruff, and he looked intense, powerful in the suit that he was wearing.

Rhett felt intimidated, wondering why this man was asking.

“Yes, sir.” Rhett’s voice shook a little bit as he responded, and he tried to mentally calm himself down standing there, so when the man inevitably followed up he’d sound more mature, stronger and confident.

“Do you have any work experience? I’m assuming food service, if you’re looking here, but anything else?”

“We have experience as dish washers at a diner, and we also have experience cleaning motel rooms. We have a reference.” Link spoke this time, voice steady and eyes clear. If he and Rhett were going to be all-in on LA, they needed to make a good impression, and Link was convinced he could do that. He figured this man wouldn’t be asking them if he didn’t have an idea of where they could work, and Link wanted Rhett to know that he was trying, that he was going to give LA a fair shot. This was his way of communicating that to Rhett, being ready to answer this man’s questions with calm certainty.

“Cleaning experience, then? I work right around the corner, within walking distance. If you follow me, I’d like to contact your reference and see about getting you some work. Okay?”

Rhett was unsure about the man’s motivations. Yesterday, Rhett had been pushing Link to stay in LA, Link having so many reservations, but now that this seemed like an actual opportunity, it was Rhett who was feeling concerned. This was a stranger, and even though he looked professional, Rhett felt worried, protective.

Link was still healing from his injuries, and Rhett was still worried his ribs were broken, knowing the way Link was still taking ibuprofen regularly and how he whimpered in his sleep if he laid on that side for too long. They were living on their own and looking for work, but Rhett couldn’t help remembering they were young boys in a big city, and they didn’t know anything about this man. What if he was a skilled con artist or a mugger? But when Link followed him out the door without hesitation, Rhett had no choice other than to follow.  _ Why was Link so set on this now? _

Rhett’s worry faded considerably when they reached the man’s office. He’d been honest, his office actually was right around the corner. It was clean and professional, well-lit, and as the man walked in the door, everyone around seemed to greet him with a hello and a smile, dipping their heads slightly in deference. It appeared he was the man in charge here, and that gave Rhett a lot of hope.

“Alright, have a seat.” The man gestured to the two chairs in front of him now that they were inside his personal office. The nameplate on his desk said “Robert Smith.” You couldn’t get much more of a generic name, Rhett figured, but it suited the man, who looked like any other non-descript professional in a suit. “What are your names?”

“I’m Rhett, and this is Link, sir.”

“And your reference? How can I get ahold of him?” Mr. Smith repositioned the phone on his desk, bringing it closer to him, poised to dial the number.

“Her, sir. Her name is Cheryl, and she owns the diner and the motel we worked at.” Link corrected the man gently, with calm assurance, showing a professional side of himself that Rhett had never seen before. Sure, Link was serious when he needed to be, but this took it to a whole new level.

Rhett fished the number out of his wallet and read it off as Mr. Smith punched it in. He didn’t seem to mind the long-distance number, dialing it without hesitation.

Rhett didn’t realize that he and Link had both been holding their breath as Mr. Smith talked to Mama Cheryl until the call was over and they both exhaled audibly. She’d been happy to confirm the boys’ work for her, praising Link’s attention to detail and Rhett’s hard work ethic. She told Mr. Smith how they’d never been late for work at all, and gushed that they’d been willing to work until the job was not only done, but done properly. It seemed like exactly what Mr. Smith needed to hear, as he gave a slight smile to the boys during the conversation.

“So why did you leave your last job?” he asked when he got off of the phone. Rhett wondered if this was a trick question, but Link opened up without hesitation.

“We were looking for a change in scenery and wanted a new challenge. We had been wanting to move to Los Angeles for a while, as we have some filmmaking aspirations. This seems to be a good place to start. However, right now we are happy to work in whatever position we can in order to widen our skill set as we pursue our future goals.” It almost seemed like even the southern twang dropped from his voice as he gave a clear and professional answer. Rhett’s jaw nearly dropped; he was in awe. This was a far cry from the Link who had barely spoken to Mama Cheryl at first, afraid he’d accidentally make some silly innuendo or put his foot in his mouth.

Link was sincerely trying, and Rhett realized now that it must have been because of his promise to give Los Angeles a real shot. It worked, too, because before Rhett or Link knew it, they were shaking Mr. Smith’s hand and had a job. Rhett was glad they’d decided to try one last time for the day, but mostly he was happy he had Link by his side. Without Link’s sudden courage, insistence on making good on his promise to Rhett to try, he wasn’t sure they would have gotten the job at all.

They’d be working as night janitors in Mr. Smith’s office, cleaning up after everyone went home. Emptying trash cans, vacuuming, sweeping floors, even reloading the copier was their responsibility. The work didn’t require them to stay too late, only from six until midnight, but the boys didn’t mind when they’d be working as long as they had a job. They were getting fewer hours than what Mama Cheryl had given them, but Mr. Smith’s budget was larger and he was willing to pay them under the table. Any money was something that would help them with food and a place to stay. Rhett hoped that it would be enough to extend the place they were staying, but also to allow them to live on more than peanut butter sandwiches, generic cereal, and ramen noodles.

* * *

When they arrived for their first night of work the next day, the sun had been down for nearly an hour, and the office was darker, almost eerie. The light panels in the ceiling above had only one light of the three illuminated after-hours. 

They headed back to the room that Mr. Smith had shown them the day before, knocking gently, then opening it a small crack when they got no response. Rhett peeked in to see a man sitting, leaned back in a rolling desk chair.

“Excuse me?” Rhett cleared his throat quietly, but the man didn’t move, the TV in front of him too loud. “Excuse me,” Rhett said a little louder, and then the man jolted to attention. He wiped chip dust off of his hand onto his pants, standing and extending thick, greasy fingers towards the boys.

“I’m Rick. You must be Brett,” he turned, his hand turning with him, toward Link.

“Link, actually. This is Rhett,” Link tilted his head toward Rhett, reaching his hand out to shake Rick’s. Rhett repeated the gesture, shaking his hand as well. Rick briefed them on their job, giving them a checklist of things that needed to be done. They weren’t quite sure if Rick was a security guard, a head janitor of sorts, or just someone who was employed to look after them and make sure they did what they were supposed to do. They didn’t ask, instead setting out on their task of cleaning, trying to tackle the checklist efficiently.

The tasks were simple enough, the sort of things Mr. Smith had told them they’d be doing, and, like they had at the motel, they divided the tasks by preference and skill.

On their first night, it took them all the way to midnight to finish the list. Once they did, they returned to the room Rick had been in to let him know they were done and see if they were to leave or if they needed to do anything else first. Rick, however, was sound asleep, snoring in the office chair, open bag of chips on his stomach.

“Should we just leave?” Link whispered, unsure if they were meant to lock the building up, or if Rick was doing that.

“I think we have to talk to Rick first, let him know we’re going,” Rhett responded in the dim room.

“Rick? Sir?” Link said a little bit louder, hoping to rouse him. When that didn’t work, Rhett gently shook his shoulder, trying to jar him slightly without startling him. Finally, he snapped awake.

“You boys done with the list?” Rick said, a bit dazed, but coming to.

“Yes, sir. We’ve finished everything.”

“Wow, that was quick. Okay, well, I guess you can be going on home then. See you tomorrow.” Rhett and Link exchanged a glance and a shrug as Rick turned back to the TV. They were quiet on the way back home, satisfied to be working again. It didn’t take either of them long to fall asleep that night.

The next night, they took the list and split it again. Rhett scrubbed toilets as Link vacuumed, then he loaded the copy machines with paper as Link wiped down counters in the office kitchen. They moved from space to space, emptying trash cans and cleaning surfaces until the job was done and finished around midnight again.

By the third night, they finished their tasks early, and when they asked Rick what they should do next, he encouraged them to come and hang out in the room he sat in, with the cleaning supplies around him. Instead, Link asked if anyone would mind if they did some extra tasks, and when Rick had no ideas to offer, they left the office to find something. Neither of them felt good about simply sitting there when they were being paid to work, so Link got down on hands and knees to wipe down the baseboards, and Rhett reached up high to wipe down the blinds, getting the dust off of them.

They worked diligently until midnight, and then went home without disrupting Rick, as he’d instructed earlier. They could have left early and Rick would never have known, but both of them agreed it would feel like cheating.

After work each night, Link would shower and they’d stay up for an hour or two talking, going to bed around three in the morning. They’d sleep until around one in the afternoon, Rhett would shower, and then they’d play cards or watch TV, talk or film each other talking about their new job, their life, and their goals for what was next. They decided to take a chance and bring the camera to work that night, feeling certain Rick wouldn’t mind if they filmed, staying mindful of the rules that Mama Cheryl had set forth as a guideline for what might or might not be okay to film at work.

The next week was a blur of cleaning and sleeping, spending time together, and healing. By the week of Christmas, Link’s bruises on his ribs were barely visible, and he wasn’t taking ibuprofen as often, either. Link no longer traced Rhett’s bruises with his fingertips, instead running his fingers along healed skin. They had settled into a rhythm here, and all talks of going back to Phoenix were gone. They weren’t making films, not like they hoped to someday, but they continued shooting snippets of their lives on video and doing what they could.

On December 22, they were greeted with time off. Mr. Smith had the office closed for the holiday, and with it closed, there’d be nothing to clean up. He paid them, and despite the fact that they hadn’t been working there long, he gave them a small bonus as thanks for the extra work they’d been putting in. The attention they had paid to things like baseboards and blinds hadn’t gone unnoticed, and he assured them that if their attention to detail in their cleaning translated to their filmmaking, someday with practice they just might have a career going for them.

As they curled into bed that night, long limbs entwined, Link anticipated their first Christmas together.

“Hey, Rhett, what should we do for Christmas? Like, do you wanna go to the beach or something?” The air in LA would still be warm enough for them to walk the beach for the first time since their incident on the boardwalk, and Rhett liked the sound of it.

“Yeah, we could do that. And we should probably go to the store. I don’t want to eat ramen for Christmas. We don’t have to get anything fancy, but maybe we could find something good since we got a bonus.” Rhett had counted the money, and they’d be able to extend their stay a bit longer and still have some money left over. Not a lot, but enough. For the first time since they got to LA, both of them fell asleep without fear of the future ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much to rhinkipoo and clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for beta reading this chapter, editing it, giving me feedback... and thank you to likeawildpotato for giving me a second set of "mom eyes" with these precious boys.


	17. Chapter 17

Neither of them could wait until Christmas to make it to the beach. The first of several long days off found them there early, walking along the shore. Link took his shoes off, carrying them as he dipped his toes into the cool water. It wasn’t warm enough for swimming, but it was okay to walk in, and soon after Rhett was barefoot walking through the waves, also. They walked hand-in-hand, shoes in their other hands. After walking about ten minutes up the beach, though, Link dropped Rhett’s hand.

“Hey, what gives?” Rhett whined a bit at the sudden rejection. Link simply laughed and took off at a dead run.

“Bet you can’t catch me!” He raced up the beach, and Rhett tore after him laughing. Eventually, a cramp shot up Link’s side, and he started to slow down, giving Rhett just enough time to catch up. Rhett tackled him, cradling Link in his arms so they wouldn’t hit the sand too hard, and they curled into each other on the ground. Link lay there, looking up at the blue sky above, and Rhett planked above him, dipping down in a push up to give Link a quick kiss. Then he rolled over to the side, lying on his back beside Link to look at the sky, too. They pointed out cloud shapes, and eventually, Rhett rolled over onto one side to look at Link.

“Do you think you’re ever gonna get sick of me?” There was actual concern written all over his face -- it wasn’t a joke.

“Of course not! Why would you say somethin’ stupid like that?” Link couldn’t believe that Rhett would ever think there’d be a time that Link would be tired of him. They’d been inseparable for more than a decade, and, now more than ever, they were bonded indelibly on each other’s hearts.

“I mean, we spend every single day together. We work together, we live together. We hang out together. It’s just you and me. I want to make sure you’re not going to get bored of that. Or like, if you do, that you’ll tell me.” Rhett loved every minute he had spent with Link, aside from the ones they’d spent fighting, but even then, he wouldn’t trade their time together for the world. But now he needed to be sure Link was on the same page.

Link perched up on one arm, matching Rhett’s pose on the sand.

“Rhett James McLaughlin, I’m never, ever, going to be sick of you.” Link leaned in and kissed him, a soft peck, and moved back to look him in the eyes. He meant every word of it, and he could tell in the way Rhett looked at him that they didn’t only need each other because they were alone out here in Los Angeles. They  _ wanted  _ to be here together, too.

“Good. Because you’re kind of stuck with me, man.” Rhett smiled, finally allowing the mood to lighten. They lay there for a while longer, until the breeze started to cause a chill to creep over them so close to the water. December could get cool anywhere, even someplace as warm as LA, and they both agreed they were ready to walk back. As they stood, they both brushed the sand off of themselves and each other. There was a hose off of the boardwalk that they could rinse their sandy feet with, but the thought of the too-cold water made Link shudder a bit. Rhett laughed and agreed that they should probably put their shoes on, sand and all.

They walked back to the boardwalk, so close at times that they’d brush or bump each other. It was like they were one person trying to figure out how to inhabit two separate bodies, their souls colliding with almost every step forward, pulling them into each other’s space again and again. Neither of them actually made an effort to walk farther apart, so it kept happening as they approached the space that had once been so familiar, now only memories from weeks past.

When they reached the boardwalk, they saw a few buskers. The crowd was small but steady in the days leading up to Christmas. Rhett assumed the visitors must be tourists, in Los Angeles to see family and using their first day in town as a chance to explore. He wondered if, one day, their families might come visit them out here, sometime when they were settled down and actually had a place to invite their families to see. He wondered if his parents would forgive them for running away and if they were still worried or looking for them.

“Do you think we should call our parents for Christmas? Like, let them know we’re okay at least? Tell them to have a good Christmas or somethin’?” Rhett wondered if it was the right thing to do. They’d stayed silent on Thanksgiving, instead spending the time with Mama Cheryl, but they’d been gone for almost two months. So much had changed that home seemed like a distant memory, but he thought their families would appreciate the gesture at least.

“What do we tell them? That we came to LA, and that we hope they’re good but we’re fine without them? Just say ‘Merry Christmas,’ and hang up?” Link didn’t know if he had the strength to call home and not break down. He knew he’d left his mother alone to deal with this, her house empty as she tried to push on. He had refused to let himself picture it that way, but as he was excited to spend his first Christmas with Rhett, she was staring down her first Christmas alone. He tried to convince himself maybe she’d found someone, but they’d only been gone a little under two months, and he knew the reality, that she was alone at home as the holiday approached.

“We don’t have to tell them where we are. If they ask, we could not say anything, or we could say we’re somewhere else. I just thought maybe they’d want to know that we’re okay. We don’t have to decide right now, though.”

“Yeah, I guess.” They continued to walk along the boardwalk, dodging the tourists walking toward the beach as they walked away from it. A few small stalls were open, offering up food and souvenirs.

“Hey, Rhett, want to get some ice cream?” Link nodded to a stand, pulling out his wallet. “I think we have enough money.”

The soft serve twist cones were only fifty cents each, so they each got one, sitting at a table near the stand to eat it. They let silence settle around them comfortably, the hum of passersby filling the air, the sound of the waves easily able to reach them where they were sitting. Seagulls chirped into the air, undeterred by the cool winter breeze as they searched for stray french fries or bits of ice cream cone lying around the trash cans.

“Oh my gosh! Rhett! Link!” They heard a voice yell, and Rhett turned to see Jack approaching them, a wide grin on his face. They hadn’t seen him since the fight, since he told them to split it up or they’d get caught.

“Hey, Jack, Merry Christmas. How are you?” Link smiled up at Jack, nudging the empty seat at their table out with his foot to let Jack sit down. He joined them, setting down his juggling pins in front of him. Rhett offered to go buy him a cone, but Jack declined. They hadn’t known Jack very long, or ever gotten to know him very well, but he was a familiar face in LA, the one person they knew here outside of work. And today, a familiar face was exactly what they needed.

“When I didn’t see you guys around, I figured you’d left town after the fight.” Jack looked hesitantly between both of them, as though he was wondering if he’d made the right decision to tell them to go, without stepping in and intervening. “I’m sorry that I didn’t help more. I… I didn’t really…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Link said, dipping his head to meet Jack’s eyes. “We understand, we didn’t want you to get in trouble or anything. Thanks for looking out for us, letting us know to run. You seriously saved our butts, man, and we appreciate it.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay, guys. And that you’re still here.”

“We, uh… we talked about going back home, but we decided to stay. We figured out some work that was a little bit less likely to get us knocked on our butts, y’know?” Rhett chuckled, finally able to find some humor in the situation that had been so terrifying in the moment. He filled Jack in on the details of their new job, how they’d been cleaning for Mr. Smith, and Jack asked a lot of questions about how they liked it and what sort of things they were doing. Link’s eyebrows raised suddenly with an idea.

“Hey, Jack? I mean, it’s a long shot, but maybe we could talk to Mr. Smith, see if you could work there?”

Link wrote down the address, encouraging Jack to meet them there after Christmas, see if Mr. Smith could give him a job, too. It was more secure than juggling, and Jack had helped them. Link wanted to help Jack, too. When they parted ways for the day, Link felt relieved that Jack was still doing okay and guilty they hadn’t come to the boardwalk to see him sooner and let him know that they were alright, too.

* * *

 

“What about this?” Link held up a box of snack cakes, generic but still delicious, and Rhett nodded. Rhett wasn’t sure he could stomach another package of ramen, and they figured Mr. Smith was paying enough that they could widen their variety a little bit, as long as they didn’t get too extreme.

Rhett picked up a box of Link’s favorite cereal, Frosted Mini Wheats, and placed it in the basket.

“Hey, man, we can keep buying the cheap stuff.” Link reached out to tap Rhett’s shoulder with the back of his hand, reaching for the box. Rhett held the box down in the cart.

“No, just this once, let’s get these. I know you miss them.” Rhett was right, Link missed his beloved favorite cereal, and he didn’t want to argue when Rhett was trying to do something nice. They still stuck closely to their budget, buying cheap cans of beans and microwavable pouches of rice, anything to avoid eating the things they’d been eating since they got to LA, no longer having the luxury of Mama Cheryl’s cheeseburgers and chicken strips to break things up.

They were a little bit more free with their funds, but not much. Instead of trying to keep meals under twenty-five cents each, like the ramen packets, they allowed themselves to reach for fifty or seventy-five cent meals instead with off-brand canned goods. They were thankful for the pay they were getting from Mr. Smith, but they never knew when an opportunity like that could run out, and they needed to save money if they were ever going to move out of the extended-stay and into somewhere a little better.

They agreed to splurge on something special for Christmas Eve, a meal they could be proud of, but mostly one they could re-heat in their microwave. As Link added a rotisserie chicken to their cart, Rhett placed a few oranges and apples in alongside it, the most affordable produce he could find.

Their kitchenette wasn’t equipped with the right features for them to make anything like mashed potatoes, but they bought a can of cranberries and a can of corn, and Rhett picked a pie from the bakery. If they weren’t going to have a fine meal like they’d had at Thanksgiving, they were at least going to make it as special as they could.

* * *

Link knew after spending extra on a special meal for Christmas Eve that they didn’t have the budget for gifts, but when Rhett took their laundry to the laundromat by himself, Link walked to a nearby store. Usually, they’d go take care of the laundry together, but Rhett had offered to do it himself, and Link wondered if maybe he needed time to think. They spent every waking moment together, like they’d talked about at the beach. Rhett going to do the laundry alone, Link figured, gave them a healthy amount of time apart. Besides, he wanted time to think about Christmas. He wanted to do something for Rhett, but he wasn’t sure what.

He wandered the aisles looking for something, anything he could gift his best friend, his boyfriend, that wouldn’t break the bank. He finally settled on a simple card, going back to the extended-stay before Rhett returned and pouring his heart into a message inside. He filled the entire inside and the back of the card with thoughts, dreams, ideas, and love for Rhett.

It didn’t matter how much time they spent together, Link still felt like there was more to say, and here was where he poured it out, careful to tell Rhett that yes, he actually did love him, and no, he was never going to get tired of him. He promised Rhett forever, the rest of his life, and he meant it.

He didn’t care if they were young. Rhett had been by his side for most of his life, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. It was a big decision for a 16 year old to make, but they had made a bigger one when they became blood brothers, made a blood oath just a year or two before. This seemed easier-- there wasn’t even blood involved. It was a promise, one that Link fully intended to keep.

As Rhett let the clothes spin in the dryer, he asked the attendant if he could keep an eye on them. The attendant nodded, and Rhett looked around the empty space. No one else was doing their laundry the day before Christmas Eve, so Rhett walked out the door to the car. He pulled the guitar out and leaned on the hood of the car, playing a final song, some random notes he was stringing together in the dying light of the evening. He didn’t like leaving Link, not even for the time it took to do laundry. They were a little codependent in that way, he thought, how they never really liked being alone even though they were always together.

He thought about Link and about what he had to do to make this Christmas special. If he’d brought Link along, Rhett knew he wouldn’t have been able to keep his plan a secret. And now as he’d played the song, poured his heart out into the cool air of the December night, he was encouraged, ready to do what he’d set out to when he offered to take the laundry by himself. Rhett entered the pawn shop next door to the laundromat, the one he’d bought the guitar from.

“How’s the guitar working out for you, young man?” The pawn shop owner seemed to remember Rhett. He imagined it wasn’t every day that a tall teenager came in for a guitar.

“It’s a good guitar, sir, a really good one. But I need to come in and see if I can return it.” His voice was solemn, he didn’t want to give himself too much opportunity to think about this. If he traded in the guitar, they weren’t going to be able to go back to busking again. But Rhett figured if they kept the job they had, eventually he could get a new guitar. There wasn’t another chance, though, to make their first Christmas special.

“Running low on money?” The man had guessed correctly, but that wasn’t the issue.

“No, sir. I need to trade it in so I can get my… uh,” Rhett hesitated. Without a doubt, Link was his boyfriend, but he wasn’t sure what this stranger would do or think about what he planned to purchase. Back home, this would have been a ridiculous gesture, something that no one would have ever accepted or understood. But maybe this was different, and Rhett wasn’t ashamed of Link, not in the slightest. “I want to get my boyfriend a ring for Christmas. Will you buy back the guitar?”

It had gone remarkably unscathed in their busking fight, and Rhett wanted to cling to the memories the guitar held of the first days in LA as he and Link struggled to find their way. But at the same time, he wanted to see it go, wanted to wash himself of the thoughts of those days of hurt and brokenness.

The man raised his eyebrows at the words, and Rhett assumed he’d just taken them for friends when they’d been in the first time. But the man didn’t say anything, didn’t throw him out of the shop or ridicule him. Rhett was certain it was a far cry from the response he would have gotten if he’d tried to do this in North Carolina.

“I can’t buy it back, but I could probably trade it in for something, put it towards some store credit for you to get that ring. That fair, young man?”

Rhett nodded, and the man helped him, pulling a few rings out of the case that would be in Rhett’s price range after the guitar was taken into consideration. None of them were anything fancy, but Rhett didn’t need fancy. He wanted something he thought would fit, and wanted something that Link would like, or at least understand the intent behind. Rhett touched the strings of his guitar one last time, passing it over the counter. He handed the man behind the counter $20, which he knew was more than he should be spending without asking Link, but he wanted to keep this a surprise. The man tucked the ring into a small, flimsy box and handed it to Rhett.

As Rhett entered the laundromat again, the dryer was slowing to a stop, their clothes finished. He drove back to the extended-stay, wondering how he was ever going to keep the ring a secret until Christmas.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of my love to rhinkipoo and clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for beta reading and editing this chapter. Endless thanks to likeawildpotato and stingray626 for the kind words, support, and love as I push through the last half of S+J. Couldn't do it without the four of you driving me forward.


	18. Chapter 18

Rhett tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep that night, trying to form the words he wanted to say to Link. He’d bought the ring knowing he wanted to tell Link he wanted to be with him forever, but he was still trying to figure out how to present it to him. Was he asking Link to marry him? Maybe, someday, if that was even something they could do. But he mostly wanted to make sure Link knew he thought they would belong to each other forever.

He hoped Link wouldn’t be upset about the guitar or about the money he’d spent. They were tracking every dime they had, and this wouldn’t go unnoticed. He figured Link would understand, though, and it was Christmastime. Surely Link would get over him spending the money quickly enough.

Link felt the tossing and turning, the fidgeting, and rolled over to rub Rhett’s back softly.

“You okay, bo?”

“Yeah, just can’t seem to sleep.” Rhett didn’t want to tell Link what was on his mind, not quite yet. He really wanted to wait until Christmas, to make it special and to have his words carefully planned out, but he was already having trouble keeping quiet about it. Until it was time for bed, he had been mostly quiet, doing all he could to keep himself from blurting out his secret and giving Link the ring too early.

“You want to talk about it?” Link clicked the bedside light on, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He hadn’t fallen asleep yet, hadn’t been able to with the way Rhett was turning over and over in his sleep. But he wasn’t tired anyway, the anticipation of their first Christmas together winding him up tight even though they couldn’t afford to make it anything too elaborate. He wondered if Rhett felt the same.

“I, uh…” Rhett tried hard to keep the words in, tried to wait another day. But he knew there was no way he’d be able to, so he pulled Link close. “You remember what we were talking about the other day? About whether or not we could even get married?”

“Yeah, I remember.” Link gave him a puzzled expression. “That what’s got you up? I’m not going anywhere, you don’t have to lose sleep over this.”

“No, like. I want to. One day, if we can. I want to marry you.”

“I know. I want to, too.” Link rubbed his hand up and down Rhett’s back reassuringly until Rhett stood up and started to pace. “Rhett, are you okay? What’s got you so stressed out? Seriously, we have time, we don’t have to worry about this right this minute.”

Rhett walked over to his jeans, folded on a chair in the corner, and fished around in the pocket, his hand wrapping around the box.

“Link, you know I love you, right? And like, I know you say we’ve got time, and you’re right. We’re just teenagers, so I get that this isn’t really a right now thing, and I won’t be mad if you change your mind later or something, but I want us to remember where we’re at right now, and I want you to remember that I want to marry you, and I don’t want you to forget it. Ever. Because someday, I’m gonna, I’m gonna do it. But since right now we can’t ‘cause we’re basically still kids, like… do you wanna be with me? Maybe forever?” He held the ring box out to Link.

“Y… you’re… you’re giving me a promise ring?” Link stammered as Rhett opened the box to reveal the small silver band.

“No. I mean, yes, but like… I mean, it doesn’t have to change anything. I want you to know I mean it when I say I want to be with you forever, y’know? And I thought if I got you this, then you’d know for sure.”

Link dove towards Rhett, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face into his neck. “Forever?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, forever.” Link smiled, pulling Rhett as closely as he could. When he finally released the embrace, Rhett smiled at him, then looked at the box still in his hand, now suddenly empty.

“Oh crap! The ring!” Somehow in Link’s excited lunge toward Rhett, the ring had flown out of the box to who-knows-where.

“Oh my gosh, oh no…” Link dropped to the ground, crawling, searching, as Rhett moved the bed linens, trying to find any sort of flash of silver. Had they really lost it?  _ This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to happen!  _ Rhett had envisioned this beautiful moment between them on Christmas, had figured by then he’d know exactly what he wanted to say, but instead he jumped the gun, made a fool of himself by tripping over his words, and then lost the ring he’d traded everything he could for.

“I’m such an idiot!” Rhett lamented, stripping the bed clothes completely off of the mattress, finding no trace of the ring. Link moved, still crawling on the ground. They would tear this room apart if they had to, search every corner. Link wasn’t about to let Rhett feel dumb for this. They hadn’t left the room. The ring could not have gotten too far away.

“Found it!” Link shouted, snatching the ring up and holding it into the air. He then placed it in his palm, held it tight so it wouldn’t fall again. “Do you… should I…?” Link wasn’t sure how this worked, how any of it worked. Should he put the ring on himself? Was Rhett supposed to do that? Neither of them really knew, so Link stood there, the ring safe in his closed hand.

“Oh, right.” Rhett walked over and took the ring from Link. “Which finger do you want it on? I mean, do you want it on  _ that  _ finger or…” All of this made everything seem so real to Rhett, so clear. And he wasn’t as nervous as he thought he’d be. In fact, the thought of forever didn’t make him nervous at all. His nerves were only about how badly he wanted to get this right. There were no do-overs in something like this. It was a huge step, one they’d both remember.

But as for actually being with Link? He had no hesitation about that, whether it meant they got married or just spent forever together. In so many ways, they’d already spent forever together, and this was merely a new layer. Rhett couldn’t imagine life with anyone but Link, especially now, after they’d had only each other to rely on since leaving North Carolina.

“Yeah, that one’s okay, I think. If it’s okay with you, I mean.” Link held his left hand out toward Rhett, who slid the ring onto his ring finger. It fit perfectly. For a guess, a hope that it would fit, he had done pretty great. “I love you, Rhett.”

“I love you, too.” Rhett stole a glance at the clock on the bedside table, noticing that it was now after midnight. “Merry Christmas Eve.”

“Oh! I have something for you, too. It’s not like… not a ring or anything. Sorry.” Link walked over to his bag and pulled out the card, the one he’d spent so much time pouring his heart out into hours before. “Just… just don’t read it in front of me. It’s kind of mushy.” Link blushed and looked down at his feet, shuffling them and fidgeting with the silver ring on his left hand.

“Okay, I’ll read it later, then. If you want me to, I mean.” Rhett was itching to read it, but he was willing to wait if doing it now would embarrass Link that much.

“Yeah, okay. Later’s good.” Link yawned, his eyes drooping. The pair agreed to go to bed, and Rhett brought the card with him, setting it on the table beside him. When Link’s soft breathing was all that he could hear from that side of the bed, he opened the card, tilting it into the beam of moonlight coming in through the window. Link had filled it completely, promises of forever and declarations of love in every corner and fold.

* * *

 

When Link woke the next morning, Rhett was lying there asleep, the open card still in his hand. Link briefly wondered if his words had been so long, so boring, that they’d put Rhett to sleep, but when Rhett felt him stirring, he opened his eyes and pulled Link closer, willing him not to get up quite yet.

“Thanks for the card. I read it… a few times, actually.” Rhett blushed, then released Link so he could pry himself out of bed, too. It was Christmas Eve, a more reasonable hour now than when they’d decided to exchange their gifts. Rhett smiled as he saw the glint of silver on Link’s finger as he walked to the sink for a glass of water.  _ This is what our lives could be like.  _ Rhett imagined they’d have a future with a house, not live in the extended-stay forever, and he longed for a day when he and Link would actually be together forever, a day when they weren’t just two teenagers on some whim of a journey.

Christmas Eve was spent like most of their other days, though, with their gifts exchanged overnight being the exception. They were saving their dinner for the evening, so they filled their afternoon with card games and peanut butter sandwiches instead.

“Hey, Rhett, I was thinkin’ about what you said about calling our parents. Maybe we should.” Link placed a two down on Rhett’s four, and Rhett pulled the two cards closer to him, having won that round of War.

“Yeah, we probably should. You know, to tell them Merry Christmas and all that.” Rhett placed down a six, Link a nine, and Link pulled the cards his way.

“So, do you want to go to this pay phone here?” Rhett nodded his head in the general direction of the pay phone he’d used before, outside their room and up the street a bit. “Oh! We should call Mama Cheryl, too. Tell her we’re okay. We haven’t talked to her since we were hurt.”

“Well, she knows we’re better now because Mr. Smith called her, but yeah, we should probably call her.” Link placed a two down, and Rhett did, too. They each laid down three cards and drew for the winner of the round.

“Okay, so we’ll call Mama Cheryl first maybe, and then call our parents? Do we tell them where we are?” Rhett was wondering what they should tell their parents, what they’d say.

“No. We could say we’re somewhere else, maybe. Where could we be at? I don’t want to say Phoenix. What if they find out Mama Cheryl helped us?” Link didn’t want her to get in trouble, so they decided to say they were in Oklahoma, stealing part of Jack’s story, weaving it into their own history. They’d told so many different people they were from so many different places now, but they had to. They were covering their tracks to avoid getting hauled back home, away from their lives together.

As dinner time neared, they decided to make the calls, walking to the pay phone before it got dark, coins stuffed to fill both of their pockets. Carrying the coin jars would be too obvious, and it wasn’t a great part of town to so obviously carry money, even spare change.

Link pressed the coins into the slot, dialing Mama Cheryl’s number first.

“Mama Cheryl? It’s Link… yeah, we’re, we’re doing real’ good. We wanted to call and say Merry Christmas and let you know that we miss you a lot.” Link smiled, his eyes welling up with tears. He hadn’t expected to feel quite so emotional simply from hearing Mama Cheryl’s voice. “Yeah, we’ve got some dinner, a chicken. It’s not as good as Thanksgiving, but we’re doing alright. How are you?” Link stayed on the phone, catching up and filling her in on how they’d recovered from their injuries, how they had a job. She told him how she was doing, and how everyone back in Phoenix was. She was spending Christmas at the diner, like they had at Thanksgiving, family-style. Of course, they were both sad the two of them were missing that family-style Christmas. “Maybe next year we can come back to-”

“You have one minute remaining. Please insert more coins to continue the call.” Link looked up at Rhett and mouthed “Do you want to talk?” Rhett nodded.

“Mama Cheryl? Give me a second to put some more coins in and you can talk to Rhett, okay?” When she agreed, Link pushed the change into the machine. “I’m handing you to Rhett now, ‘kay? I miss you. Love you, Mama Cheryl!”

“Hi, Mama. Yeah, we’re doing good. I miss you, too.” He listened to Mama Cheryl tell him about how proud she was of him for making sure Link was okay, and how happy she was that they were both doing better. Rhett reached out for Link’s hand, his fingers toying with the silver ring he’d placed there not even a day before. “Can I tell her?” Rhett mouthed silently, looking at the ring he had his fingers on. Link smiled and nodded. Mama Cheryl asked how their Christmas Eve was going, if Rhett was having a good one.

“It’s been so great! Link gave me a really nice card and it was so beautiful, Mama Cheryl, just so beautiful. He’s really, really good to me. And I got him a ring!” Rhett shared the news enthusiastically, and Link could hear Mama Cheryl’s congratulations through the phone. “Yeah, I mean, it’s nothing like  _ official  _ official but just like… kind of a little bit? Like a… a promise ring. Yeah, no, I know, I know we… but… I mean… yeah, I know…” Rhett gave a sheepish grin. Link figured Mama Cheryl must have been encouraging them to take things slowly. They both knew she was happy for them, but they were young, and it was clear she wanted to make sure they were careful not to rush in only to get their hearts broken later.

“Oh that?” Rhett dropped Link’s hand and scratched his neck a little bit, looking away. “I uh, I sold the guitar. Busking was really dangerous and this seemed more important.” Link’s jaw dropped open. He hadn’t really considered the lengths Rhett had gone to in order to buy the ring. He knew it should have crossed his mind, but he was so excited that he didn’t think about it.

“You have one minute remaining. Please insert more coins to continue the call.” The mechanic voice repeated itself, and this time, it was time to say goodbye so they could make the other phone calls. “Love you, too, Mama Cheryl. We’ll call you as soon as we can.” Rhett placed the phone back in the cradle, and Link gave his shoulder a little shove.

“You  _ sold  _ the guitar? What were you thinkin’? What if we have to busk again? And you loved that guitar!” Link felt guilty that Rhett had sold something so important to him to get Link the ring.

“I love you way more than that dumb guitar.” He pulled Link in for a quick hug, then reached into his pocket for the change. Now or never. If they didn’t call their families now, they’d chicken out, put it off another day or two. Rhett knew they owed their families a phone call and an explanation. They’d let it go on for too long, and now with Christmas approaching, they had to do it.

“Do you want to go first or do you want me to?” Rhett held the coins out between them.

“Um… can I do it?” Link was afraid if he didn’t go first he’d chicken out and wouldn’t do it at all.

“Yeah, okay.” Rhett figured this was going to be hard for Link, especially since he’d left his mom all alone, so he pressed in the coins and then leaned against the side of the phone to give Link as much space as he could. But Link didn’t want space. He reached out for Rhett’s hand and their fingers entwined as the phone rang.

“Mom? Yes, I’m okay. I’m safe. I wanted to call and say Merry Christmas and that I love you. No, we’re… we’re okay I promise….” There was a long pause on Link’s end as Link’s mother simultaneously shared how much she loved and missed him and how angry and worried she was that he left. At the same time, and above all, she wanted him to come home. “Mom, I can’t… We’re doing good out here. But I wanted to call because I do love you, and I’m sorry I left you there alone. I want to make sure you’re okay, and tell you that I am, I’m okay. We’re okay.” A tear rolled down Link’s cheek, and for a second Rhett wondered if this was it, if they were going to get in their car and drive back home. He wouldn’t blame Link if that’s what they had to do.

“You have one minute remaining. Please insert more coins to continue the call.” The mechanical voice interrupted Link’s mom begging him to come home.

“Mom, I gotta go, the call’s gonna cut out and Rhett needs to call his mom, too, so… I love you. I miss you, please stay okay for me. Love you mom, bye.” Link placed the phone back in its cradle in time for them both to hear her yell  _ “No, Link, wait!”  _ before he got it secured, ending the call, too late for him to stop himself.

Link dashed for the bushes that lined the sidewalk next to them and leaned over, throwing up behind them. He sank to the ground nearby, tears pouring down his face, and his body shook with his sobs. Rhett reached down to put a hand on his back, and at first, Link jerked away, needing to be alone in this, but then leaned back into Rhett’s hand. He took a minute to collect himself, then wiped his face on his sleeve and stood up. He still had snot and tears dripping, and tried to wipe his face on his sleeve again, but Rhett pulled him in, kissed him on the forehead.

“Whatever you need to do, Link, we’ll do. Okay? We’ll do it.” Link nodded, smiled a little bit.

“What we need to do is you need to call your parents and then we need to go eat dinner.” It was Link’s way of saying  _ we’re not going back _ . Even if he wanted to, he had to hold out and be strong. Maybe they could call home again soon, give their parents more of an explanation.

Rhett pressed the coins into the phone, dialing the number.

“Dad? It’s Rhett… yes, we’re okay. We’re safe. No, I… yeah, I understand that… I…” Rhett’s dad was cutting him off, not letting him speak. Rhett could hear the sorrow in his dad’s voice as he choked back tears, but he could also feel the anger burning hot through the phone. His dad was sad, feeling guilty he left, but also angry that he’d let his mother miss him for so long without giving any indication he was okay. Without so much as a goodbye, the phone was passed to his mother. “Mom? Yeah, I’m okay. We’re doing good. I miss you, and I love you. I just wanted to call to say Merry Christmas… no… no…” She was begging for him to come home. “We’re… we’re in Oklahoma,” Rhett lied. “No, don’t come get us, we’re okay. We’re, we’re workin’ a lot, and we’re doing good…. Yes, of course I miss you, mom. I miss you a lot… no, I… we’re happy out here, I’m happy.”

“You have one minute remaining. Please insert more coins to continue the call.”

“I gotta go mom. Merry Christmas… I love you, too.” Rhett placed the phone in the cradle and sighed. He didn’t have the same intense physical reaction that Link had, but he did feel like he’d been punched in the stomach. They’d left their families without a word, a warning, a true goodbye. He remembered telling his mom he was going to miss her the day he left, as if he was simply going to go to school. And then, for a month, she’d heard nothing from him. He could understand their families being a mixture of angry, sad, and hopeful they’d return. Mostly he hoped that someday they could fully explain why they left and everything that happened since. He didn’t think their families would understand, though, not really.

When they had composed themselves fully, they walked towards to their extended-stay. Link was quiet, his tears slowing, then stopping altogether before they got back. When he entered the room, he went and brushed his teeth, then closed the door to the bathroom. Rhett heard the shower turn on, and for a long time, he waited. When an hour went by, Rhett knocked on the door with no response. He knocked harder and then pushed the door open a crack.

“Link, are you okay?” Link didn’t answer, instead turning the water off and letting out a long exhale.

“Can you hand me a towel?” Link asked, and Rhett passed him one from the shelf. The towel disappeared behind the curtain, and for a moment Rhett wondered if he should walk away, wait for Link to come out of the bathroom when he was ready. Instead, he stayed there. Link hadn’t asked him to leave, so he waited.

Link wrapped the towel around his hips, tucking one end in to secure it, then stepped out of the shower. Rhett pulled him into a hug, didn’t let go, didn’t care that Link hadn’t taken the time to dry off and was getting his tee shirt soaked. They stood there for a long time, and neither was fully sure how much of the water was from Link’s shower-wet body or how much was their combined tears, decompressing from the emotional phone calls they’d made. Here, in the quiet privacy of their room, they could fully let go. Rhett didn’t know if they’d stood there for five minutes or forty-five minutes, but it seemed like not very long and forever all at the same time. When they finally pulled apart, Link looked up at him, blue eyes glistening.

“You hungry?” Link knew he didn’t have to ask -- Rhett was always hungry. But he needed to make it clear that he was done crying and was ready to push all of that out of his head so they could have a proper Christmas Eve. Link tugged on some shorts, and Rhett peeled his wet tee shirt off over his head. Then the two set about heating up their dinner in the microwave, Rhett warming the chicken as Link opened cans of vegetables to pour into paper bowls.

As they settled onto the top of the bed to eat, balancing their paper plates on their laps, Rhett smiled at their unusual setup.

“I’ll tell you one thing, I think this should be the dress code for all future Christmas dinners. It’s way more comfortable than getting dressed up.” Rhett thought this was great, both of them sitting on the bed in their shorts. Sure, Christmas in Phoenix would have been preferable, even if they’d had to wear shirts, but this was nice and relaxed.

Link cackled at the suggestion, the laughter almost hysterical as a response to how emotionally drained he felt. He felt that weird mixture of giddiness one sometimes gets after they’ve just experienced something crushing, and when he laughed, Rhett couldn’t help but laugh, too. Soon they were a pile of giggles on the bed. When they finally calmed down and focused on dinner, they both ate in near-silence, afraid words would lead them to burst into laughter, or tears, or some combination of both.

“Hey, Rhett? I know that it’s not like… Thanksgiving or anything. But I’m still thankful for you, and that we came here, you know?”

“I don’t think you have to only be thankful on Thanksgiving… I’m thankful for you, too.” Rhett reached his hand out, taking Link’s hand, and playing with the silver ring. “Do you think we’re still doing the right thing?”

“Yeah, I think we are. I mean… that was hard, that was so freaking hard calling home. I still feel sick thinkin’ about it. But yeah, I think we did the right thing coming here. I can’t even imagine what we’d be doing if we were back home. I know we wouldn’t be doing this.” Link leaned across their hands, their plates, their laps, and kissed Rhett, the way they’d done when they’d kissed for the very first time while playing the hand slapping game.

Rhett deepened the kiss, and his head started to get fuzzy, cloudy with the heaviness of the day. When he pulled back, it was only to move their plates to the kitchenette. When his lips met Link’s again, something shifted between them. He didn’t know if it was the ring or the conversations or the realization that  _ yes  _ this was right, but things changed, and neither of them was putting a stop to it this time. 

All of the  _ can we, should we, will we?  _ went out the window, and they were tangled in each other, kissing, touching, gasping for air. Neither of them was quite sure of the dynamics of what  _ physically  _ constituted a first time between them, but emotionally it was the closest they’d ever gotten, even though they kept fabric between them. Rhett collapsed onto Link after, stayed there unmoving for a long time. Link didn’t encourage him to move, but lay there, feeling safe and secure in Rhett’s arms.

When they finally did move, it was late evening and their room was dark. They finished the rest of the food that they’d set aside and then curled into each other in the bed, exhausted. Right after the bedside clock showed midnight, Link kissed Rhett’s cheek.

“Merry Christmas, bo,” Link said in the darkness.

“Merry Christmas. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Rhett’s eyes slid closed, already hearing Link’s breathing starting to slow and his body start to still. Neither of them moved until they were awakened by a loud pounding on the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many thanks to rhinkipoo and clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for editing this chapter and helping me through. Also tons of thanks to like-a-wild-potato and stingray626 for the love, support, and continued help as I work through these last several chapters.


	19. Chapter 19

Rhett jumped at the sound, startled awake, and sat up immediately.  _ Who would be knocking at this time of night? _ It couldn’t be anyone good on the other side of the door, so he left the light off in hopes that whoever it was would go away. In this part of town, he knew it could be a burglar or an addict who had lost his way back to his own room. But as the pounding continued, intensified, he shook Link awake for direction.

“Link!” he whispered as loudly as he could, hoping he wasn’t heard from outside. “What do we do?” Link rubbed his eyes in the darkness, struggling to pull himself awake.

“Rhett McLaughlin, Charles Neal, open up. It’s the LAPD, we need to talk to you.” That was enough to snap Link out of his sleepy haze, waking him up fully. They exchanged quick, wide-eyed glances.  _ Shit! _

Rhett struggled to the door, clad in only his boxers, opening it slightly to see that it was truly the police.

“I promise I’ll let you in. Please let me get the chain lock unfastened,” Rhett said, making sure the police knew exactly what he was doing. He closed the door, his hands shaking as he slid the chain lock open, and then opened the door fully.

“Rhett?” The officer eyed him as if sizing him up, ensuring he matched the description of the boy they were looking for. He peered past Rhett toward Link. “Charles? Or, uh… Link, is it?”

“Yes, sir.” Rhett nodded, and Link stayed frozen in place on the bed.  _ The cops know our names. How did they find us? _

Two other officers stood in the doorway, ensuring Rhett and Link were firmly secured in the room. There was no way for them to go anywhere. Rhett walked backward, keeping his hands in view, and sat down on the bed. Over the covers, Link reached out instinctively, not caring if the officers saw. Right now, he needed Rhett, so he clasped hiss hand. Rhett rubbed Link’s hand with his thumb, silent reassurance that no matter what happened, they were in this together.

“Yeah, we’ve got them. They’re here. They’re safe. It’s just the two of them.” One of the officers in the back had been talking into his radio, mostly in coded numbers, but the last part was clear. They’d been found.

“Rhett, can you please put some pants on and step outside with us? Link, you’ll stay in here.” Link started to let go, but Rhett didn’t release his hand.

“Can you please talk to us together?” Rhett protested quietly.

“I’m afraid not, son. I’m going to need you to step outside.” The officer frowned slightly, but Rhett couldn’t tell if it was over his protest or if it was because he truly felt bad for separating them. The officers were hard to read, their faces nearly indecipherable.

“Can I… can I hug him first? You guys are gonna keep us apart, aren’t you?” Link’s eyes welled with tears. He was pretty sure he knew where this was going, and he was absolutely sure he didn’t like it. He was terrified at the idea of being separated from Rhett, the only person he knew he could rely on. And Link knew that this separation would translate over back in North Carolina, which is exactly where it seemed they were headed. None of this was a good thing, in his mind. Had someone sold them out, told their parents where they were? Did news of them running away reach LA? Link wondered how they’d been found so suddenly.

“Make it quick.” The officer’s tone was soft and understanding, but he kept a straight face. Link pulled Rhett in for a tight hug.

“I love you,” he whispered. “No matter what happens.”

“I love you, too.” Rhett agreed. He hoped they’d kept their voices low enough to allow this moment to be private between the two of them, not because he was ashamed, but because these felt like words that needed to stay between them in this unsure moment.

“Rhett,” the officer reminded him that it was time to leave the room. The two pried themselves apart, tears in both their eyes, and Rhett stood up, slid his jeans on, and walked out of the room. His eyes were locked on Link’s, only letting go when the officers shut the door between them.

Rhett leaned against the side of the cop car outside, and the officer took his time to confirm that he was, in fact, Rhett McLaughlin. He wondered what Link was doing inside, probably packing his stuff. He wondered how they’d found them. And then he figured there was no harm in asking.

“How did you find us? I mean… it’s been over a month and you’re just now finding us here?”

“You called from a payphone around here,” the officer said flatly.

“But we used star-69. The number shouldn’t have shown up.”

“Your parents called the phone company and asked where you were. They keep the records, even if you use star-69. You could have told your parents you were on the moon and they were still going to find out where you really were. From there, it took us finding your car, which still had the license plate on it. Usually when kids run away, they’re in parking lots or something, but you boys must be doing pretty well for yourselves if you could afford a place to stay instead of sleeping in the car. Anyway, from there we asked the guy at the desk if he saw you two, and he gave us the room number.”

“So… now we have to go back?” Rhett sighed, his shoulders slumping forward. This was the end, their LA dreams falling apart, shattering on the ground.

“Your family misses you. You know they have to miss you. Whatever it is you’re running from, it can’t be as bad as what could have happened to you out here on your own.” The officer sounded like he felt for Rhett, but that didn’t mean he understood.

Going back home would mean losing all of this, everything he and Link had built together. Their documentary, their dreams, the hope Rhett held for the future. Just hours before, they’d been talking marriage, and now they were headed back to North Carolina, where they couldn’t even really be together, he figured. How would anyone understand?

Inside the extended-stay room, Link reached into the drawer and pulled out the camera, setting it on the desk. While the officer wasn’t looking, he turned it on, not pointed at anything in particular. He had been instructed to pack, and as far as the officer could tell, he may have been packing the camera. Rhett had wanted to record the good, the bad, and the ugly of their trip -- this was definitely the ugly. Link couldn’t imagine it getting any uglier than having to pack alone while Rhett waited outside with the other two officers, wondering what would await them after this.

The police hadn’t mentioned whether they were under arrest, but Link wondered if that was coming next. Was running away a crime?  _ Even if it isn’t, Rhett’s car belongs to Rhett’s parents, right?  _ Link figured it was possible they’d get charged with car theft or something else. They might be going to jail. Either way, he needed to get packed like they’d told him to, so he started pushing his belongings into his bag, sorting his stuff from Rhett’s. Their lives were so entwined, their stuff intermingled, too, that it took him a while to get everything sorted.

“You doing okay over there? Getting all packed?” The officer eyed Link, but every time he looked, Link was working on getting things put where they should be. The discarded flimsy ring box laid on the desk near the camera and Link stuffed it in his bag. He found a notepad on the table beside the bed and grabbed a pen to scribble down a quick message:  _ Forever. I promise. _

Link made his way to the fridge, discarding the remnants of the Christmas meal that they’d planned to finish later in the day. He placed the boxes of snack cakes they hadn’t finished into Rhett’s bag, knowing he was the one who would rather have them anyway. This wasn’t how they had planned to spend Christmas, packing under the watch of the police. 

When Link was sure he had finished everything, he grabbed his bag and told the officer he was ready.As the officer took him outside, he placed Link’s bags in the trunk of his police car. Link stared at Rhett, trying to silently communicate to him, but in the dark, it was nearly impossible. “I love you,” Rhett mouthed to Link. Link nodded, “Me too.”

“This is a formality, you aren’t under arrest right now. But I need to do this to make sure you and I both stay safe.” The officer turned Link toward the car, fastening handcuffs around his wrists, then helped him into the back of the car. “You got the other one? I’ll meet you back at the station. I’m going to go find out what our plans are with these two.”

As the car pulled away, Link in the back, the other officers led Rhett inside to pack his own belongings. When he got in, he spotted the camera sitting on the desk. Rhett hadn’t remembered them leaving it there, so he knew Link must have moved it into place.

Rhett began packing what was left, grateful that Link had taken care of the hard part, like cleaning out the fridge, because he wasn’t sure he had the heart or emotional strength to worry about that right now.  He placed the card Link had given him for Christmas into the bottom of his bag, hiding it under some clothes. He wondered if his parents were going to look through his bag, but he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the card behind. Even if they did look through his things, at this point he was too drained and frustrated to care all that much about the consequences.

It hit him then that they were supposed to be back at work in just two days. He wondered how they could tell Mr. Smith they wouldn’t be back after Christmas. They’d promised to meet Jack there, but they had no way of telling him they couldn’t make good on their word anymore.

Rhett worked his way from one side of the room to the other, packing all that remained. He spied the pad of paper on the table, noticing that it was no longer blank. He ripped the top sheet of the pad off.  _ Forever. I promise. _ He quickly scrawled something on the second page.  _ This doesn’t change anything -- yours always. _ He placed both notes in his pocket, hoping like heck he’d be able to give Link the second one.

He quickly finished his packing, and when he made it to the video camera, he noticed it was recording. Link was smart, committed to capturing the worst moment of their journey. It was raw, real, and important. He looked straight into the lens, tears streaming down his face, then switched the camera off without a word and placed it in his bag.

“Okay, I’m ready.” The officer repeated the actions Rhett had seen them take with Link, loading his items into the trunk and then handcuffing him, folding his long, tall body into the backseat of the cop car. He watched the streetlights pass as he rode in the back, tears silently falling as he said goodbye to this chapter of their story - praying it didn’t end here.

When he got to the station, he was seated next to Link, and they waited, still handcuffed. Rhett managed to slide his fingers into his back pocket just enough to grasp the note he’d placed there. He’d folded them differently, anticipating that the next time he saw Link, they might be in handcuffs. He pulled out the note, nudging Link with his elbow and placing it in his hands. Link couldn’t look at it yet, his hands behind his back, but slid it into his pocket quietly for later.

“I want to clarify again that you two aren’t under arrest. Rhett, your parents have decided not to press charges about the car and will be handling that privately. Charles... Link, your mother is working and has asked us to fly you home with a police escort. Rhett, your mother will come pick you up and we’ll release you into her custody so you can fly back with her.”

“You mean… Link’s going to be alone?” Rhett’s voice shook, and he swallowed hard.

“He’ll have a police escort.”

“Will we be on the same plane?” Link asked, hoping that he’d at least know they were together for that, even if they weren’t able to be near each other.

“I honestly don’t know. It depends on what flight we’re able to get you on and which flight his parents decide to put him on.”

The boys sat in silence until another officer came in. “It’s time for Link to go. I was told Rhett’s mother will be landing in about three hours.”

“You mean I can’t wait with him?” Link asked, “I can’t… I can’t fly back with him?”

“Unfortunately, no. Your mother had the option to send you back with a police escort or place you into Rhett’s family’s care, and she opted for an officer to fly back with you.”

Link knew, deep down, that his mom might be mad, why she might be leaving him to fly back apart from Rhett, but he cursed her under his breath just the same. Rhett was all he had, and this made it clear he wasn’t going to get to see him. The officer led Link to the back of the cop car once again for the ride to the airport.

People looked at Link like he was a criminal as he was led through the airport in handcuffs. He’d heard the two officers discussing whether it was actually necessary to put him in handcuffs, to leave them on him as they walked through the terminal, but it was protocol, and they wanted to be sure he wouldn’t run away. Link stared at the floor as he waited. He didn’t want to make eye contact with the people who must have been thinking god-knows-what about him, about what he’d done.  _ I ran away and I fell in love, is that a crime?  _ His tears had long dried, and he was dehydrated from the crying he’d done so far. When they boarded the plane, the officer finally removed his handcuffs.

“I trust now that you’re on the plane there’s not really anywhere for you to go, so let’s take these off for now.” Link didn’t have any fight left in him even if he had wanted to run, and if he did run, Rhett was at the police station. There was no one to run back to.

“Can I… can I go to the restroom?” Link asked, then made his way to the back of the plane when he had permission. An officer followed him and stood outside the door. He wasn’t sure why the officer waited out there because he couldn’t exactly jump out of the plane through the toilet. There wasn’t a way out, a way back, but he figured it was protocol, too, like the handcuffs. He didn’t need to go, simply needed the break, and it wasn’t until he was alone that he unfolded the note Rhett had slipped him in the station.  _ This doesn’t change anything -- yours always.  _ He could see the indentions from his own note left behind, pressed into the paper, which meant Rhett had seen it. Good.

* * *

 

Rhett waited in the room alone, quiet. He picked at the edge of the table, his arms free. When they realized he’d be waiting three hours, they simply put him in a spare room and removed his handcuffs. He sat at the table, knowing they might be watching him through the mirror that was clearly a window, too.

He waited and eventually dozed off, head on the table. Everything had happened so fast in the middle of the night, and he was exhausted. He didn’t jolt awake until he heard the door open.

“Rhett!” His mother ran to him and hugged him, pulled him close. She breathed him in like she hadn’t seen him in years instead of just over a month. Rhett supposed in her world, it felt about like that, though, like he’d been gone forever. His dad stood back, gave her room to greet him. “I missed you so much, why did you do this, why would you ever do this?” Tears poured down her face, and she refused to let go, to stop clinging to him. It was like she was afraid he’d vanish from her arms if she gave him any amount of space. When she finally did pull back, Rhett saw his father, the way he stood there.

“Rhett.” His voice was cold, but his eyes were damp, showing his true feelings under the surface that he wouldn’t allow himself to express right now.

“Dad?” Rhett was overwhelmed. The last time he’d spoken to his father face-to-face, they’d argued, fought about what he should be doing with his life. But now, after that exchange, neither of them made an effort to speak to the other, letting the silence hang heavily between them. Rhett didn’t give his mother an answer to any of her questions. He figured deep down she knew the reason he left, and she probably even knew the other reason, the  _ real _ reason he left, before he knew it himself.

“I’m going to drive the car back home, Rhett. You’ll fly back with your mother.” Rhett reached into his pocket, grasping the key and handing it back to his father. Even though his dad likely brought the spare, he already knew he wouldn’t be touching the car for a very long time.

He wondered how Link had done at the airport by himself, if he was back home yet or if he was in the air crossing the country in hours, a reverse of the journey that took them weeks to make the first time around. He tried to focus on convincing himself Link was safe, Link was okay, Link wasn’t alone. He couldn’t think about the fact that Link had flown with police instead of family. He was angry, angry that Link’s mom hadn’t let him fly home with them, angry that they were being dragged back.  _ This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to happen. _

* * *

 

Link’s mother was there to meet him when he got off of the plane. She wrapped her arms around him.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t come and get you. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t get off of work.” She sobbed into his shoulder, and he tensed up. He understood why she couldn’t come, he truly did. And he missed her so much. His muscles ached to lean into her hug. But he was furious.

“Why didn’t you let me come home with Rhett, then? If you couldn’t come, why didn’t you let me have that? They took me to the airplane in handcuffs!” Link was making a scene, probably more than the scene that the cuffs themselves had created at the last airport. He didn’t care; he wanted answers. He loved his mom, but if she really was sorry she couldn’t come, she wouldn’t have left him to face this alone, he thought.

“We’ll talk about it at home, Link. Right now, let’s just get your stuff and go home.” She effectively shut down the conversation, glancing around to make sure no one heard what he had said about the handcuffs.

The drive home was silent. Link expected his mom to either yell at him for leaving without warning and for not calling during the time he was gone or to catch him up on all he’d missed. Instead, nothing, like she was afraid if she opened her mouth it wouldn’t be pretty. Link stared out the window, taking in the familiar streets he’d ridden his bike down a thousand times as a kid. When he pulled into the driveway, he remembered the night this all started, saw the tree where he and Rhett had planned to leave.

His room was exactly as he had left it, sports gear from his bag discarded in a neat pile to make room for the things he had packed to take with him. His pictures were still on the wall, his bed still slightly disheveled from the morning he’d left. It looked like a museum, a piece of history commemorating a person he no longer was, and it certainly didn’t feel like home. After all, Rhett wasn’t there. Link set his bag down and started unpacking. It wasn’t until he reached into his pockets and fished out Rhett’s note that the tears started to flow again.

* * *

 

Rhett lay in his bed, playing and replaying the tapes they’d made along the way. Seeing Link, hearing his laugh and his smile and even his frustration as they navigated the journey together, all of it made him feel better. None of it made him feel great -- Link wasn’t with him. But seeing the good parts of their journey? That was priceless to him. He only watched Link packing once through, how he skittered around the room. He watched the screen as Link bent over the bedside table to write the note out. Rhett couldn’t bear to watch that part more than once, and he refused to watch his own time spent packing at all. He skipped all of that to re-watch the good things again.

Hours later, he sat up, positioned the video camera on his dresser, and stood in front of it, trying to get in frame. He clicked the record button, then repositioned himself so he could talk.

“We’re home now. And by we, I mean… I’m here, in my bedroom. And Link is at his house, in his bedroom. And by home, I mean, the houses we grew up in. And it freaking sucks. We had all these dreams and plans and things we were going to do in LA, and all of that’s been ripped away from us. I’m mad, I’m mad that we didn’t get to finish what we started. I’m mad that no one in Hollywood ever saw this. I’m mad that Link is there and I’m here, and we’re in different parts of town right now. I’m mad about all of it. I just needed to say that.”

He turned off the camera, burying it in the back of his closet along with the tapes, stuffed in an old shoebox where his parents wouldn’t find it or take it from him. He was going to finish what they started, whether it was now or years from now. They were going to finish their documentary even if it meant finishing it in Buies Creek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks always to Rhinkipoo and Clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for beta reading and editing this chapter. Thanks also to like-a-wild-potato and stingray626 for the love and support while writing it.


	20. Chapter 20

“Are you going to eat?”

“No.”

“Are you going to come out of your room?”

“No.”

“You can’t stay in there forever.”

Link responded with silence. He had nothing more to say. His dinner sat untouched at his bedside, and his mom simply closed the door behind her, this time not bothering to remove it. For the last two days, she’d set a plate of food there at each meal, and at the next, she’d take away the one that sat there previously.

Link hadn’t eaten. He hadn’t showered. He’d probably slept, he thought, sometime between crying spells. Mostly he stared at the wall. He felt hollow and empty, and sleeping wasn’t the same without Rhett next to him. Without Rhett’s arms around him, he felt nervous and wiggled his legs in the bed, unable to get comfortable.

He wasn’t sure how many times his mother had entered and left his room, but by the third day, she refused to leave again until he ate something.

“Fine.” He sat up, took a single bite of the peanut butter sandwich she’d brought, and was flooded with memories of the days he and Rhett had eaten nothing but peanut butter sandwiches to save money. He burst into tears, shoving the plate to the floor. Grapes, the sandwich, and chips flew all over, and his mother gasped.

“I’m sorry, mom. I’m so sorry.” Link got on his hands and knees, placed everything back on the plate, and shoved it towards her. “Please just go.”

She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, shaking her head and walking back out the door. After a few hours, she was back, encouraging him to go for a walk, to take a shower, to do anything other than stare at the wall. Link remained silent and ignored her pleas.

He lay there, twisting the silver ring on his finger. He had no intention of moving until he absolutely had to.

* * *

 

Rhett fiddled with the lock on the window, knowing that if he broke it, it would set off the alarm his dad had installed. Part of him didn’t care, figured that if he ripped the lock off and ran, he’d be able to make it before his dad got word at work. The other part of him knew that his dad would know exactly where to find him, and that the consequences of running again would be far worse than they’d been this time around. He left the lock intact. It wasn’t worth it.

Rhett knew that at least when he and Link got back to school, they’d be able to see each other, even if only in the classes they shared. Any time was better than this, but nothing would ever compare to their time on the road. He’d felt free. Even when they were fighting, it was so much better than this. He thought back to their days at the river, the time in Phoenix, everything they’d accomplished in the time they were gone. They’d managed to make a way for themselves, and now it was cut short.

Here, he felt like a caged animal. He paced his room, then walked to the freezer downstairs and grabbed the ice cream. He sat on the edge of his bed and shoveled spoonful after spoonful into his mouth. Before he knew it, he had polished off the entire carton, and he immediately regretted it. Within minutes, he felt sick.

He placed the empty carton beside his bed to join the collection of other wrappers and packages that were starting to pile up. Rhett didn’t care. He had zero motivation to put the stuff away or to do anything else. He returned to pacing. By now he knew exactly how many of his long strides it took to get from one wall to the other (he could get there in 5, but if he took smaller steps, he could stretch it to as many as 15).

He filled the hours with long showers, knowing he’d probably get a lecture about the water bill later and the waste he was causing. He’d stand there under the stream of hot water until the water ran cold, then stood there longer, shivering. Sometimes he turned on the water and sank to the floor, crying in the bathtub as water streamed over his body. He’d shake with sobs and then with shivers from the cold. He felt hollow. When no one was home, he’d scream in the shower as loudly as he could, the water and the heartbeat pulsing in his ears drowning everything out. At the moment, showering wasn’t about getting clean. It was about killing time and trying to keep himself numb, anything to stop the aching, the fact that he felt like half of a whole.

At night, in the dark, he could hear his parents arguing. Usually it was about how Rhett wasn’t acting like himself. His mother’s heart was breaking, hurting from the fact that he was shutting them out and not talking. His dad was still angry that he’d left, angry that she was hurting. All of the tensions and doubt they’d had in their 25 years of marriage were bubbling over in the rift that Rhett’s leaving had caused. He heard his dad’s anger over the money they’d spent to “undo” Rhett’s actions. Rhett figured he meant the plane tickets and the gas to bring the car back home, but he knew there were some aspects of the trip that his father’s money could never undo.

He wondered how many nights they’d spent fighting like this while he was gone. They seemed comfortable in this pattern, fighting almost every night since he’d gotten back, and they’d never been this way before. When the sound got to be too much one evening, he picked up his glass of water from the side table and threw it at the wall. It shattered into tiny fragments, but after a short pause, the arguing continued like they hadn’t even heard it. Rhett rolled over, head between his pillows, not bothering to clean his mess.

He forgot about it until the morning, when he got up to relieve himself and stepped on a shard. As he fished it out of his foot, watching blood pool to the surface, he wondered what Link was doing, if he was handling things better than this. Rhett figured he wasn’t, but he tried to comfort himself by hoping Link was happy enough to be home. He imagined Link getting back into his daily routines, sitting and eating breakfast. The blood from Rhett’s foot dripped onto the tile floor of the bathroom, and he held a square of toilet paper to his sole until it stopped bleeding. The physical pain didn’t compare to the ache he felt inside. He grabbed the vacuum and cleaned up the rest of the glass. His parents never asked him about it.

When he was alone in the house during the days that followed, his parents away at work, Rhett had the opportunity to film. One afternoon, he fished the camera out and placed it on the dresser.

“It’s been five days since we got back. I haven’t seen Link. It’s like… it’s weird not seeing him after only ever seeing him. You know? I don’t really know what to do. This is weird, and I don’t like it. I don’t really know what else to say. I could show you my bedroom here. You saw the places Link and I were livin’ together, but you haven’t seen where I live here, back in Buies Creek.”

Rhett picked up the camera, panning the room. As the camera passed the collection of junk and wrappers, he kicked them out of the way, continuing to turn. He placed the camera back down.

“See how empty it is? How pointless? Look. I can scream, and nothing is going to happen. It does nothing. Watch.” Rhett screamed, a blood-curdling roar that made him grip his chest and caused his eyes to water. He paused. “See? Nothing. No one’s here to even hear it. It’s freakin’ meaningless, man. Everything is meaningless here. Nobody gives a shit.”

He turned the camera off, letting the weight of that sink in: None of it mattered. He put the camera back in the closet, then paced the room again. When he reached the wall, he pulled back, punching into it as hard as he could. His fist pushed a hole into the sheetrock, left his hand covered in white dust. His knuckles started to bruise immediately and what at first looked like a few little scrapes began to bleed. He snarled grimly at the mess he’d made of the wall and of his hand. There’d be hell to pay for it later, and he didn’t care.

Rhett dug through the lowest drawer of his dresser until he found the one thing that was keeping him grounded, keeping him calm. He turned the card, and the short note tucked into it, over in his hands, reading through every word again and again. He buried them back into the drawer he’d stuffed them in after getting home, praying his family wouldn’t find them. And then he cried once more.

* * *

“Get up, you’re going for a walk.” Link’s mom flicked the lights on.

“A walk? Where?” Link mumbled the words as he pulled his blanket up over his head. He hadn’t been sleeping, he simply didn’t want to talk about this, didn’t want to go for a walk or do anything for that matter.

“I don’t care where, but you’re not going to lay here and waste away. Get up and out. Do something.” His mom looked at Link’s pile of blankets with concern and pity in her eyes. “Please, Link. It’s been a week. I don’t know what happened while you were gone, but you can’t live like this.”

_ A week?  _ Link thought it felt like an eternity. He hadn’t taken stock of days or nights, how many meals his mother had brought him. He just knew it had been too long since he’d seen Rhett.

“Thought I was grounded.” Link still refused to pull the covers off of his head, wouldn’t move out from under them.

“If it gets you out of bed, you’re officially un-grounded. I don’t care anymore. I just want some sort of  _ you _ back and this isn’t you. Go on, get your coat.” Link could hear the worry and sorrow in his mother’s voice, the pain she felt in finding her son only to bring home a shell of who he once was, a hollow boy in place of the vibrant Link that had left. And since Link wouldn’t talk to her, she didn’t know if he was this hollow from the events of the trip or because he had to come home.

“Don’t wanna.” Link didn’t move.

Suddenly, his blankets were gone, his mother whipping them off in a quick move, leaving him shivering in his boxers. She could practically count his ribs. He’d been slender when he left, and the days in LA eating ramen and peanut butter had caused him to lose what little weight he’d maintained in Phoenix. The lack of eating when he arrived home had him looking downright scrawny.

“Be home in an hour for dinner. You’re eating with me at the table tonight, whether you want to or not.”

Link knew there was no way out of this, so he tugged on some clothes and grabbed his coat. His feet took him to the only place that mattered. It was a long walk in the chilly North Carolina winter weather to the other side of town. It was worth it, though, if it meant he could see Rhett.

He lifted his hand to the door, knocking gently, then harder. The door swung open and Mr. McLaughlin was on the other side.

“Hello, Link. Rhett isn’t available right now. You can see him when you get back to school next week.” The door closed in his face before he’d had a chance to even open his mouth to speak.

He started to walk away when he heard a sharp knock coming from an upstairs window. Link turned toward the sound, looking up at the room he had spent thousands of hours in. Rhett pressed his hand to the glass as if to say “I’m sorry.” Link waved, and they looked at each other for a minute, trying to communicate in silence all of the things they needed to say. Suddenly, Rhett disappeared from the window, the curtain falling closed again, so Link started back home.

* * *

Rhett’s heart sank when he saw Link outside. All he wanted to do was run down there and scoop Link up, hold him and tell him it would all be okay. Instead, Link was turned away before Rhett could even see him, still grounded and locked inside. They had their silent moment, and Rhett felt like he could have stared down for eternity, but when he heard his doorknob twist to open, he jolted away from the window.

“It’s dinner time.” Rhett’s dad didn’t have an ounce of question in his voice, it was all command. Rhett would come down and join them for dinner, no ifs, ands, or buts.

That didn’t mean he had to speak. He shoveled food into his mouth as quickly as possible, then darted back upstairs, locking the door behind him. It wasn’t until later that night that his mother shook the door, encouraging him to open it. He finally stood and pulled it open, giving in.

“Locking your door is a privilege, Rhett. So is seeing your friends. Right now you don’t get as much privacy while we’re figuring out what we’re going to do about things.”

Rhett nodded, silently responding.

“You need to start helping out around the house more while you’re home for break. Tidying up while we’re at work, things like that.”

Rhett nodded again.

“Are you going to talk to me?” Rhett had barely spoken to anyone since he’d gotten back from LA. He’d spoken to the camera, and it was the only way he knew his voice still worked. His mom seemed to be pleading with him, begging him to just talk. Her voice sounded exhausted, sad, and he considered saying something. But there was still a part of him, the part that hadn’t been allowed to see Link earlier, that wouldn’t let him respond.

He turned his back to her, and she closed the door gently. Rhett knew better than to get up and lock it behind her again.

* * *

 

For two days, Link tossed and turned, staring at the ceiling, and the only thing he could see was Rhett’s hand placed against the glass. When he did manage to fall asleep, little catnaps peppered throughout the day, he dreamed of ridiculously twisted fairy tales. In his dreams, he was fighting to try to save Rhett, who was trapped in a tower. Link was always trying to climb the wall, falling just before he got to Rhett, waking up suddenly in a cold sweat. It happened again and again, the same dream, the same ending. He wondered what it meant, if Rhett being out of reach meant that everything they’d shared was over. He spent the hours he was awake crying.

He still wasn’t eating. His mother was forcing him to come and sit at dinner with her, but he sat and pushed the food around his plate until she would finally relent and let him go back to his room. More than a few bites made him feel sick to his stomach; he didn’t want to eat or sleep or breathe at this point. He only wanted to be near Rhett.

It was starting to become too much. After his mom left for work, a night shift, he walked downstairs and dialed the familiar number. It rang again and again. When the answering machine picked up, Link tried to decide if leaving a message was okay, or if Rhett would be in trouble if he did. Before he could decide, the phone on the other end answered, then hung up. He wondered if it was a mistake, and called back. Maybe Rhett had tried to answer and somehow dropped the phone. This time, on the second ring, the same thing happened. Whoever was on the other end of Rhett’s phone picked up the phone, then hung up again without a word. Link got the message this time.

* * *

Rhett had been right. There was hell to pay over the hole in the wall. As soon as his father had seen it, a loud argument broke out. His father was fuming, blood boiling, face red.

“Since you’ve decided to throw everything away, you’ll be able to get an after school job, won’t you?  I don’t know if I have enough pull to get you back on the basketball team after the stunt you two pulled. You’ll need to pay for the wall repair, and I’m sure the hard work will do you good.” The words stung.

“Here, freaking take it!” Rhett yanked a wad of cash out of his drawer and flung it at his dad, money he and Link had earned from work in Los Angeles. His father acted like he didn’t know the meaning of work, when it was all he’d been doing for the time he was gone, working and trying to make money stretch. They’d worked long, hard hours at the diner and motel, and he’d felt good about the work he had put in. The late nights cleaning at Mr. Smith’s office only made him more confident. And the money, scattering around in the air and on the ground, was a clear sign of the work they’d done. “It’s not like it’s doing me any good! All I do is sit here, listening to crap like this, when I  _ was  _ working hard!”

“You won’t talk to me like that again, young man.” His father gathered the cash to set on the table by the door, pulling a twenty from the pile. “You owe your mother and I both an apology, and I’ll be taking this for the wall. It’s time you learn some actual lessons about growing up and responsibility”

“An apology for the wall? I  _ gave  _ you your apology.” Rhett snapped at his parents like he never had before, particularly his father. For years, he’d been mild with his words, taking his father’s stern discussions very seriously. But now? He was frustrated, caged, desperate to see Link, and he didn’t have the patience to listen to it. Responsibility? He and Link had been responsible!

“For running away, for scaring your mother to death. She thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere. You and that boy…”

“That boy? He’s always been Link here, dad. He’s always been family. And now because of this, he’s just ‘that boy’? It’s… it’s…” Rhett stammered. Link had spent countless nights at their house, endless summer days hanging around. And now, after everything, he was ‘that boy.’ ‘That boy’ Rhett wasn’t allowed to see.

“You two ran away. He doesn’t exactly strike me as a positive influence. Anyway, turn out the lights. Time for bed.” His father was policing his every move during the hours he was home, when to eat, when to turn out the lights. “And tomorrow I want that cleaned up.” He nodded toward the pile of wrappers spilling out from near Rhett’s bed, the junk food Rhett was mindlessly stuffing his feelings down with. 

“A positive influence? I asked  _ him  _ to run away with  _ me _ . Who’s the negative influence now, dad? You really think this was all him? That he decided we should go? I did it. I went and asked him and I drove us the hell out of here because of  _ you _ . You didn’t believe in me, or in me and Link, and I didn’t believe in staying here. That’s why we left. If you’re going to be mad at someone and call them a bad influence, then it better be me, because Link did nothin’ wrong but follow  _ me _ .” 

“You both made a bad decision, thinking you were grown men. All this does is show me that I was right -- you let dreams cloud your reality. You would have done some good to listen to me instead of thinking you know everything. Either way, this discussion is over, and you’ll learn to be more respectful when you speak to me.”

As his father walked away, Rhett stood up and slammed the door as hard as he could out of spite. It shook the door frame, and the door popped back open slightly toward him with the force rather than staying in place.

“Rhett James McLaughlin, bed. Now.” Rhett turned off the lights, securing the door gently this time. He stared at the ceiling and wondered how he’d survive the days without Link until school started again.

* * *

 

Link’s phone rang, shaking him out of his half-clouded state. His mother wasn’t home, and for half a second, he considered ignoring it. He’d done that a lot lately, ignored the phone. Whoever it was could leave a message and his mom could call back later. But for some reason, he pried himself out of his bed and wandered toward the phone.

He picked up to a dial tone. He’d missed the call, taking too long to come into the kitchen to pick up. He nestled the phone back down and started toward his room when the phone began to ring again. 

“Hello?”

“Link?” Rhett’s voice quivered on the other side of the line.

“RHETT!” Link practically shouted into the phone. “I tried to call and I couldn’t get through to you. Is everything okay?”

“I miss you. I knew you must have been the one calling. My dad hung up on you, didn’t he?” Rhett’s voice was thick with sorrow, like he was choking back tears.

“I miss you, too. And yeah, he did. It’s okay, we’re talking now, aren’t we? Are you doing okay?”

“I’m not allowed to leave the house. My dad put locks on the windows and doors with an alarm. Otherwise, I would’ve tried to come and see you. Are you grounded, too?” Rhett was so happy to hear Link’s voice. He wanted to know everything that was happening.

“Not anymore. My mom got sick of me layin’ in bed and told me I had to go for a walk. That’s why I came over to see you.” Link didn’t confess to Rhett that he’d been having bad dreams ever since then, didn’t tell him about the times he was falling to his death trying to see him. He wasn’t sure Rhett would like the idea of being a damsel in distress anyway.

“Yeah, my dad won’t let me see you or talk to you at all. That’s why I’m calling while they’re at work.”

“Do you want me to come over sometime? Like, I know I can’t come in or anything, but I could sit outside and maybe we could figure out a way to talk through the window. Is that weird? Sorry, maybe that’s weird.” Link was trying to think of any way that they could be close, inhabit as close to the same space as humanly possible.

“Yeah, I’d like that. We could figure something out, I bet. So are you--” The call cut off mid-sentence, a sudden disconnection. Link waited a moment, in case it was just a momentary interruption. He hung up the phone and tapped in Rhett’s number. The person on the other end picked up, then hung up, exactly like they had done days before.

“Dang it!” Link slammed the phone down and ran to his room. He slammed the door, even though no one was home to hear it. It felt good to do it. And when the door was solidly closed behind him, he threw himself on his bed to cry.

* * *

At his house, Rhett stood there in shock, his mouth hanging open.

“You’re not supposed to be calling that boy,” his father said as he placed his briefcase on the kitchen counter.

“Just call him Link. Say his name, say it like you’ve always said it, like he’s your kid, too.” It infuriated Rhett how Link could have always been part of the family before and now he suddenly wasn’t anymore.

“You know the rules. You’re grounded. That means the phone is off limits, as well.” His father refused to answer. Link  _ was  _ family, Rhett knew. Or he had been, before they’d left. In reality, each family had lost two fixtures of their household, both of them essentially coexisting in each other’s spaces, as much at home at the other’s house or in each other’s families as their own.

“Yes, sir,” Rhett snarked and walked toward his room.

“Don’t even think about slamming the door, Rhett.” His father hollered after him, making sure to get the last word.

* * *

Link woke the next morning with a plan. He hadn’t had the nightmare again, and he knew what he had to do.

“Link?” His mother seemed startled to see him out of his room willingly for the first time in days. He walked over and grabbed the cereal, pouring himself a bowl.

“Can I go for a walk today?” He kept his tone even, trying his best not to give her any indication of his plans for the day. He wanted to make it seem as normal and routine as possible. Her eyes were wide, as if some sort of alien creature had replaced her son and was inhabiting her kitchen.

“Of course. Any idea where you’re headed?”

“No, just want to get some fresh air.” It was hardly the biggest lie he’d told his mom, and he was sure she knew where he’d end up if she actually thought about it. Once she headed off to work, he donned his coat and grabbed a notebook and a marker. If phones and face-to-face conversation were off-limits, then Link was going to make this work as best as he could.

He arrived across town and didn’t see any sign of the McLaughlins’ vehicles in the driveway. He figured they wouldn’t be there anyway, since it was early enough in the day for them to both be at work. He picked up a pebble and tossed it upwards to Rhett’s window. It fell short, arcing and tapping the siding instead. He tossed another, this time hitting the intended target. Nothing.

After about ten pebbles, half of them missing Rhett’s window entirely, he was ready to give up and walk home, defeated. But then he saw a rustling of curtains and that familiar face appearing behind them with a wide grin. Rhett held a finger up, then disappeared again. Within minutes, the curtains at the front window rustled and Rhett’s face peeked through. He gestured up, presumably at an alarm lock that prevented him from opening the window. Link nodded -- he knew that there was no way for Rhett to open the windows or come to the door.

Link pulled out his notebook and marker, and wrote.

**Hi**

Rhett left the window, returning a minute later with a notebook and marker of his own.

**_Hi :) This was a good idea_ **

Link smiled and nodded, writing something new on the pad.

**I know. I’m pretty smart sometimes. Ha**

Rhett clutched his chest with exaggerated laughter.

**_I miss you so much_ **

Link smiled weakly and mouthed “Me, too.”

**I’ve been dreaming about you. Kinda hard to sleep, though.**

**_What kind of dreams?_ **

**Kind of bad ones. Like ones where we can’t get to each other**

**_Oh. But you’re here now, so that helps._ **

**Yeah.**

The two of them wrote notes back and forth for about an hour, Link standing out in the cold winter air, Rhett inside, separated by a sheet of glass.

**_My parents are going to be home pretty soon for lunch :(_ **

**Can I come back tomorrow?**

**_Yes! Love you._ **

**Love you, too.**

Link smiled and turned to walk away. He felt hope for the first time in days, and thought maybe, just maybe, they’d survive winter break after all.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks always to rhinkipoo and shewasjustagirl/clemwasjustagirl for beta reading and editing this chapter. I couldn't do this without them.


	21. Chapter 21

Link disliked weekends. Weekends meant he and Rhett couldn’t continue the written conversations they’d been having through the window of Rhett’s house. It had become their daily routine -- Link walking over with paper, Rhett meeting him at the living room window. They’d have entire conversations, writing, reading, pausing, writing. But on weekends, Rhett’s parents were off of work, and that meant no chance for Link to see him.

“No walk today?” Link’s mom had gotten used to Link asking to take a walk each day since he’d first had the idea. He suspected she knew exactly where he was going, but for her, it didn’t matter as long as he was doing  _ something _ instead of laying in bed all day, not sleeping or eating or showering.

“No, I think I’ll just stay home. School starts Monday and I want to make sure I’m ready for it.” It wasn’t a lie, but it definitely wasn’t the whole truth.

“So Rhett’s parents are off work today and don’t know you’ve been seeing each other?”

“How did you… what made you… am I going to be grounded again?” Link stammered. Link’s mom gave a knowing smile and placed her hand on his.

“You’ve been better, happier. Don’t think that I don’t know why. You two have always been practically brothers, inseparable. You were in your room moping around like the world was ending, and then suddenly you’re doing alright? Moms always know these things.”

Link wondered, though, if she truly  _ knew _ . She compared them to brothers, so Link figured she must not know the full extent of how much Rhett meant to him. But as long as she was okay with them seeing each other, he wasn’t going to go into details and risk losing that approval.

"Thanks, mom.” Link took another bite of his cereal as his mom washed the dishes that were already in the sink. When he was finished, he placed the bowl in the soapy water and gave her a kiss on the cheek before settling onto the couch to watch TV. He could practically feel her smiling at him, and it was clear she was happy that Link didn’t slink back to his room at the first opportunity, breaking his self-imposed seclusion.

* * *

 

Rhett slathered the joint compound onto the wall mesh, dragging it with a compound knife. His dad stood over his shoulder, watching his every move.

“Now drag it the other direction, criss-cross style.”

Rhett did as his dad instructed. His father was very clear -- he made the hole, and he would be learning to repair it. It wasn’t difficult, but it also wasn’t exactly how he wanted to spend a Saturday morning. At least it killed some time he was forced to be home.

“You’re going to have to let it dry for awhile. When it’s ready, we’ll sand it.” His father seemed to be trying his hardest to stay patient through the entire thing, but Rhett kept his mouth shut. His mind was on Link, their conversations through his front window, and how he’d finally get to actually speak to him on Monday when school started again. As his father left the room, he paused in the doorway, as if waiting for Rhett to say something. Rhett stayed silent, flopping onto his bed.

When he was alone, he pulled out his notebook. It was covered in black marker, scrawled notes they’d shared through the windows. He looked at each of the things he’d written to Link… some of them were stupid jokes or thoughts, others were confessions of love and updates on what he’d done since getting home, including letting Link know he’d been filming himself for the documentary. Most of the notebook was filled with his side of random conversations no different than those they’d have back in the extended-stay or the motel.

On the road, it seemed like it didn’t matter how much time they’d spent together; there was always more to say. So now that they were apart, even though he couldn’t go anywhere or do much of anything, there would always be something they hadn’t told each other. He lingered over the page of words where he’d told Link about his idea that they could still go to the same college, maybe even apply for one in Los Angeles. The next page revealed his response to Link’s worry that his mom would insist on him having to stay close -- Rhett figured that would end up being the case for him as well. But he’d said, and he was still determined now, that anything was worth a shot.

He read over every page of their first conversation a couple of times, his half of the whole puzzle, his mind filling in the blanks of what Link had said. He flipped to a blank page.

**_It’s Saturday. That means I can’t see you today. But guess what? (I’m imagining you saying “what” right now. I’ll have to fill in your half of the conversation since you aren’t here). Monday is the first day back at school. Which means we actually get to talk._ **

**_I’d rather be in LA. Or Phoenix. Or anywhere that isn’t here. As long as you’re there with me, at least. But I guess this works for now. Since you can’t come and write with me, I’m going to write you this. I don’t know if I’m going to give it to you. I just kinda want to talk to you. I don’t know, maybe I’ll put it in your locker or something on Monday._ **

**_K, well. I have to go sand that hole that I made. I told you about the hole and about throwing the money, but I don’t think I told you that dad’s making me fix it, too. Anyway, I’m fixing it. I don’t really know how to end this. I’d say see you Monday, but by the time you get this it will be Monday, so that’s kind of lame._ **

Rhett figured that was as good an ending as any. He didn’t want to sign it with an “I love you” in case someone else saw it at school if he decided to put it in Link’s locker. Link knew how he felt anyway. As soon as Rhett got the notebook stashed in his bottom drawer, hidden under underwear and socks, his dad walked in and skimmed his fingers over the joint compound.

“Time to sand.” He handed Rhett the sanding block and instructed him how to sand it. Not too much, just enough to make it a smooth surface that was flush with the wall itself. Rhett wasn’t supposed to sand so much that the mesh beneath began to show, but where paint would easily adhere. When his dad was satisfied, they cleaned the dust from the patch.

“We’ll get the primer and paint and you can finish up next weekend. Dinner is in half an hour.” Rhett didn’t know what to do with the spare time, so he simply lay back on his bed and thought of Link.

* * *

 

Link did everything he could to kill time until the weekend was over, playing video games, going to the grocery store with his mom, watching cartoons. He was afraid he’d get upset if he thought too much about not being able to see Rhett, and his mom seemed so happy that he was actually present and not sinking into himself. He didn’t realize how famished he’d been until he started eating again. On the road, they made what they had work, but his mom made stick-to-your-bones kind of meals. He had to admit they tasted better than peanut butter sandwiches and canned ravioli. His body was even starting to fill out from how scrawny he’d gotten in LA, and especially when he’d returned home and refused to eat. Simply seeing Rhett, even through a pane of glass, had shifted his mood so much.

On Monday, he felt ready to face the day, waking up hours before school started to make sure he could find the perfect outfit. He was nervous and jittery, almost like he was seeing Rhett for the first time and wanted to make a good impression. Inside, Link knew this was silly -- he hadn’t put this much time and care into getting dressed all the times they’d seen each other through Rhett’s front window. But somehow this felt different, like the fact that they were seeing each other without a barrier meant more.

That’s why, when it was lunchtime and Link still hadn’t seen Rhett, he was feeling especially disappointed.  _ Maybe Rhett didn’t come to school today, _ he thought. They’d shared so many of their classes from the beginning of elementary school until now, at least a few every year, so the thought of being in so many separate classes seemed almost unfathomable. Link made his way through the lunch line, placing each item on his tray, then walking to pay for the food. He scanned the cafeteria and still saw no sign of Rhett anywhere.

It was as he placed his tray down at an empty table that he saw the familiar face come around the corner, his height and shape and general Rhett-ness unmistakeable. Link watched Rhett duck into a bathroom, then made a beeline to follow. He would have sprinted, but he thought too many people would turn to stare and he wanted as much time as he could get with Rhett away from prying eyes.

Miraculously, the bathroom was empty, leaving the two of them alone. It took everything Link had not to accost Rhett right there at the urinal, grab him and hug him. Instead, he faced away from Rhett and waited until he finished to turn toward him.

“Link!” He breathed the name excitedly. It had been so long, too long since they’d heard each other’s voices. They’d spoken for so long through written words that it was almost foreign to be in the same room, occupying the same space. Link looked around, his eyes landing on the bathroom door like he worried they’d have an unexpected intruder at any moment. He grabbed the bottom of Rhett’s shirt and tugged him into a stall.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Rhett responded. “We’re not in any classes together, are we?”

Link fished his schedule out of his back pocket, reading off the class names. They only had one in common -- homeroom at the end of the day.

“But we’re always in the same classes,” Link whined, frustrated. He now realized what Rhett had already figured out -- there was only one real explanation. Rhett’s parents must have insisted on the boys being separated. Rhett heard the sadness in Link’s voice and pulled him into a tight hug. He kissed the top of Link’s head and held him close, breathing in the scent that had been so familiar just a couple weeks before in LA.

“It’s going to be okay. We’re going to make this okay. I have to get home right after school. My mom is picking me up since I’m not allowed to use the car right now. But I might be able to sneak five extra minutes and tell her I was getting help with homework. Then we can talk after homeroom.”

“Yeah, okay. That works.” Link shrugged, wishing they had more time. He looked up at Rhett, knowing that in a moment, he’d be gone, back to class, and Link would be alone again. He had looked forward to seeing Rhett so much, and now they’d only have fleeting moments together. Somehow, even though they were face to face, they had even less time together than they’d had during winter break.

“Kiss me.” Rhett’s words were hushed, as though even in the empty bathroom, someone might hear him.

“What?”

“Kiss me, before I have to go back to class. Please?” Link didn’t have to be asked again. He stood on his tiptoes and pressed his lips to Rhett’s. It took seconds for them to melt back into each other, find their familiar rhythm. Link thought back to the last time they’d kissed, in their bed in the extended-stay in Los Angeles. All too quickly, they broke apart.

“See you in homeroom?” Link asked. Rhett nodded and left the stall. Link stayed there for a while. He didn’t want to make it obvious that they’d been in the bathroom together in case anyone noticed him following Rhett in, and he wasn’t ready to face the lunchroom anyway. His cheeks flushed, the sudden realization hitting him that anyone could have walked in while they were kissing and they probably wouldn’t have noticed. Even if they had, where would they have gone? He didn’t want to think about it, and instead filled his hands with cool sink water, pressing his face into his palms. He patted his face dry and walked out to the cafeteria. No one even looked up.

He picked up his lunch tray and dumped it into the trash untouched, then walked to his locker. As he opened it, a folded piece of paper fluttered to the ground. There was only one person it could be from. He opened it, read it, then read it a second time when he finished. Lunch wasn’t quite over, so he closed his locker and slid to the floor, back against his own locker as he penned a response, abbreviating some words for privacy.

**_I’m glad I got to see you at lunch, even if it was only for a few minutes. I mean, we made the most of it, right? It’s kind of lame, I thought we’d see each other more when school started and now we see each other less. At least we can still write, right?_ **

**_Do you ever think about what MC is doing? I thought about calling her the other day, but I can’t call from home since she’s all the way in Phx. Maybe I can find a payphone or something and talk to her._ **

**_Class is going to start soon, and I don’t really want to go. I wish we were back in Los_ **

Link was startled out of his writing by footsteps approaching, soft and light across the tile floor.

“You’re back.” He looked up to see Jamie standing there, arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m back.” He nodded in agreement, closing his notebook and standing up.

“So I didn't really know how to tell ya, but I thought y’all weren’t coming back, and I started seein’ Ricky. I hope ya don’t mind, but I wasn’t waitin’ my whole life to see if you were going to come back.” She seemed tense, annoyed.

“Yeah, I… yeah… that’s okay. I mean, I didn’t really expect you to wait. Sorry I didn’t tell you, I just…” Link let his words trail off as he reached up to run his hand through his hair, his stomach knotted. He knew he’d have to talk to Jamie eventually, but he expected it to be a little bit different than this, that maybe they’d still be friends. Her eyes locked onto his hand.

“What, did ya run away to get married or somethin’?” Her drawl was as thick as ever, and Link’s face turned bright red. His right hand instantly shielded his left in front of him, hiding the ring.

“No, I uh, I found it in a drawer at home and thought it looked nice, figured I’d wear it.” He tried to think of a logical explanation but that was the best he could come up with.  _ Dang it, I’m so stupid!  _ He loved what the ring meant and what it stood for, but he was unprepared for the questions that would logically follow from its placement on his left hand. “Anyway, I’ve got to get to class, so I guess I’ll see you later, Jamie. Sorry. I… yeah. Sorry.” Link shuffled off, and Jamie paced off in the other direction.

As Link approached Rhett’s locker, he ripped the paper out of his notebook and stuffed it into the slats at the top of the locker, forgetting that he stopped writing mid-sentence.

* * *

 

**You forget to finish your note or something?**

Rhett passed the note between his desk and Link when the teacher wasn’t looking, her nose buried in a book. He thanked his lucky stars for the 50 minutes of homeroom, even if they were back to written communication instead of talking.

**_Jamie came to talk to me and I forgot to finish it. She broke up with me. She’s seeing Ricky now._ **

**Sorry man. If it helps, you’re seeing somebody else, too. Unless there’s something I don’t know…**

Rhett passed the note with a gleam in his eye, making it clear he was joking about the last part.

**_Oh yeah, I’m still a taken man. Have you seen Heather yet?_ **

**No. We don’t have any classes together. She’s probably moved on, too, and that’s okay with me. I’m pretty happy with who I’m with.**

Link couldn’t help but grin at that. He was happy, too, even if they couldn’t have a traditional relationship with normal communication. Everybody got to hold hands with their boyfriend or girlfriend at school, but Link knew that if he and Rhett dared to try it, it wouldn’t go so well. This was North Carolina. They were pretty free living on their own in LA, but things were different here.

**_Maybe… maybe if she isn’t, you should… I don’t know, maybe you should stay with her? Just so nobody thinks anything funny._ **

Link looked at Rhett apologetically as he passed the note, and Rhett understood the look when he read it.  _ Stay with her? _

**What, so they don’t think the truth?**

**_You don’t have to. I was only thinking that we’re both in enough trouble already and maybe we shouldn’t make it worse._ **

**Yeah, okay. Maybe that makes sense. I guess I’ll find out when I see her.**

They wrote notes back and forth until the bell rang. Rhett gave a silent nod, making sure Link knew he was still game for them spending a few minutes together before his mom came to pick him up. Link followed Rhett out the door and around a corner, to the bathroom no one ever really used. They looked around, and no one seemed to enter. Rhett leaned Link against the door, essentially holding it closed with their combined body weight. He kissed him quickly, then wrapped him in a close hug.

“Think we can make it work like this? Only seeing each other in homeroom?”

“Yeah, I mean… I guess we should be happy we get that at least.” Link sighed. He wanted more, but at least they had this much. He was able to touch Rhett, as briefly as their time together might be.

“We can’t run away again, can we? They’d find us too easily.” Rhett’s voice highlighted his frustration.

“No, I don’t think we can. What are we going to do, Rhett?”

“I don’t know, man. I don’t know. We’re going to figure something out, though.” Rhett sighed. “I better get outside before my mom freaks out.” 

“Okay, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Link kissed Rhett’s cheek, then moved away from the bathroom door so Rhett could leave. Link waited again, watching him leave, then slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out of the school, heading toward home.

* * *

 

**_Hey. Math is really boring. Seriously. I’m bored to tears in here. Why aren’t you here to save me from this? It’s soul-sucking, I swear._ **

**_Anyway. I need your locker combination. Trust me._ **

Rhett’s note was short and sweet, and Link didn’t have a lot of time in any of his classes to write a long response. Instead, right before the end of class, he scrawled his reply on a piece of paper.

**_8-32-17_ **

He stuffed it into Rhett’s locker, wondering why Rhett needed it so badly anyway. They could pass notes through the vents in the locker, so it didn’t really make sense, but he wasn’t going to argue. At lunch, there was no sign of Rhett, no chance to talk to him in the bathroom like they’d done the day before. He ate his lunch in silence, alone. A few people glanced over at him, whispered to themselves. To them, he had gone from being Link Neal, soccer player to Link Neal, that weird kid who ran away with his best friend for a couple of months.

A few people walked past him in the halls uttering slurs about what they suspected happened between Rhett and Link. Part of him wanted to argue and get angry. The other part knew their suspicions were true. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out, he figured. He just tried to ignore them.

But after lunch, as he slipped the note into Rhett’s locker, someone passed and muttered under his breath, one more time. Link whipped around and gripped the kid’s collar.

“What was that?” Link said, shoving him against the locker. The kid was a sophomore, someone Link didn’t really know, which meant the rumor had spread far and wide.

“N-nothing. I just… someone said… uh…” The kid stammered, seeing the wild look in Link’s eyes. Link flashed back to the boardwalk, the way they’d been beaten. He lowered his clenched fist, which he’d reeled back with thoughts of hitting the kid in front of him. He didn’t release him, though, turning to look at everyone passing by him in the hallways.

“If any of you has something to say about me being back, grow a pair and say it to my face.” He released the kid, who darted off and disappeared into the crowd. When everyone cleared, Link ducked his head, his cheeks turning bright red, and he didn’t look at anyone else as he headed to his next class.

* * *

 

Rhett found the slip of paper in his locker after class, nothing on it but a combination. It was enough, though, for what he planned to do. As he walked to Link’s locker, he turned the dial, opening it with a  _ click _ . He quickly looked around, pulling the camera out of his bag and sliding it into the locker with two blank tapes and a note telling Link to film anything that he thought would help the documentary, then bring it back to him. He also told Link that his tape was in the camera, but that Link didn’t have to watch it.

“You hear what Neal did earlier? Damn, that was some intense stuff right there.”

“Yeah, but do you think he actually is? Why would he get so mad if he wasn’t, y’know?

Rhett heard the conversation a few lockers down from him. He closed Link’s locker, giving the lock a little twist before approaching the pair.

“What happened?” Rhett towered over the guys talking.

“Link shoved a kid up against the lockers.”

“Why would he do that?” There weren’t many things that would set Link off like that, but judging by what Rhett had overheard of the conversation, he knew. The bell rang, though, leaving the three of them alone in the hallway, and Rhett didn’t get confirmation on what he’d concluded. Instead, he shuffled to class, sneaking in a little bit late.

* * *

 

**What happened? You really shove somebody?**

Rhett furrowed his brow as he slipped the note to Link in homeroom.

**_Some sophomore was talking crap and I took care of it. Haven’t you heard what everybody’s saying?_ **

**Yeah, I heard it. What do you want to do about it?**

**_I don’t know. I’m sick of it. I feel like everybody thinks they know everything but they don’t._ **

The door to the classroom swung open, and an office aide walked in.

“The principal needs to see Link Neal.”

The whole classroom went silent for a moment as Link stood and grabbed his backpack. He turned toward Rhett and shrugged, then walked toward the door as whispers erupted behind him.

When he reached the office, he started to sink down into a chair, but the principal was waiting for him.

“Mr. Neal, come on in.” His voice was stern, deep. Link listened, slinking in and settling into a chair on one side of the desk, his backpack resting against his shin. “I assume you know why you’re in here, correct?”

Link dipped his head low, avoiding eye contact.

“How about you tell me your side of the story as to why you shoved Mr. Garinger and tried to punch him?”

“I didn’t try to punch him, I swear! I just… held him against the locker.” Link started the statement strong, quieting near the end as he realized how bad it sounded.

“Can you tell me  _ why  _ you did that, though?”

“He said… well, a lot of people have been sayin’, but right then he said…” Link paused. He didn’t want to say the word out loud, didn’t want to even think about it. “He said a really crummy word, basically sayin’ I was gay. Everybody’s been saying it, but when he said it, I’d… I’d heard it too much.”

“I can see where that would be hurtful, Link. At the same time, you have to understand that your actions last semester are going to lead to conversation. People are going to discuss those things. We can encourage them not to, and we can stand by our school policy that language like that isn’t tolerated, but you have to help us help you. If you’re slamming someone against a locker, we have to take that very seriously. Even if they instigated it with language they shouldn’t use, you have to follow the rules, too. I understand the strain the whole situation has put on you, and how this transition may be impacting you. For that reason, I’m going to waive suspension and give you a week of detention after school.”

“Yes, sir.” Link’s answer was quiet as he stared at his shoes, tapping one foot up and down nervously. The principal wrote out a detention slip.

“Your detention will start tomorrow, so you have time to arrange transportation around it and let your mother know.”

“I usually walk home… you know, if you wanted me to start it today… I could. My mom’s at work anyway.” Link still didn’t make eye contact. He understood why he was getting detention, but he also thought it was ridiculous that he was the only one getting punished when everyone else was saying stuff about him.

“Tomorrow’s fine. Have a good day, Link.”

He nodded and took the slip from the principal, then turned and closed the office door behind him as he exited. Just as he was about to reach his homeroom classroom, the bell rang and the hallways filled. Link stood outside of the classroom waiting for Rhett.

“What happened man?” Rhett said as the two walked to the bathroom.

“Detention for a week.”

“Anything happen to the other kid?” From what Link had said in the note, it was clear the other guy had instigated it, started something with the words he used.

“I don’t know. He said that even though the language wasn’t okay, neither was me responding to it physically, so I have detention starting tomorrow.”

Link slipped into the bathroom with Rhett behind him, and when they were sure they were alone, Rhett pressed Link against the door, wrapping his arms around him.

“I’m sorry. I guess that means no more of this for a week, huh?” Rhett’s voice was hollow, lost, and Link was angry at himself for not realizing that detention meant the afterschool bathroom meetups were done for the time being. He needed these, spent the whole day thinking about them. Tears threatened to escape, and when he couldn’t hold them in, they spilled over, down his cheeks. Rhett felt him shaking, crying. “Shh… shhhh… it’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure it out.” Rhett lifted Link’s chin with a single finger, giving him a soft kiss that Link immediately deepened. When Link finally pulled back, he choked back a sob.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done it, I should have let it go and then we’d still be able to see each other and --”

Rhett cut him off with another kiss, a quick one this time.

“No. You did the right thing. Somebody has to stop people from saying stuff. We’ll figure it out. I have to go, though. You going to be okay?”

Link swiped at his tears with his sleeve and hugged Rhett one more time. Link waited a lot longer in the bathroom after Rhett left, pacing and trying to calm himself down. He wandered to his locker, opening it to swap out his books. Nestled into the top of the locker were the video camera, some tapes, and a note from Rhett. It looked like it was his turn to carry on the next chapter of their film.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can never say thank you enough to clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl and rhinkipoo for all of their hard work editing and listening to me whine. Also major thanks to like-a-wild-potato and stingray626 for their input. <3


	22. Chapter 22

“I messed up. I messed up real bad. I have detention for a week, and after school’s the only time Rhett and I kind of get to talk. It’s really lame, ‘cause I miss actually talking to him. Anyway, I got detention because I shoved a guy for saying some pretty messed up stuff. Everybody thinks they know everything about Rhett and me, about our trip, but nobody knows everything they think they know. Nobody knows everything but Rhett and me. I’m not gonna tell you everything either. There’s just too much to tell, and besides, right now I have to do some homework.”

Link was laying on his bedroom floor, books spread in front of him, and the camera in front of those. Before he’d settled in to film and do homework, he’d watched all of the footage Rhett had shot at home, and some of it was painful to see. 

On the tape, Rhett had shown his hand, bruised from punching the wall. He’d shown the hole it created and shared his frustration at his dad thinking he didn’t have a good work ethic or realize the value of money. Rhett showed the finished patch job and explained the process. Link cried when watching Rhett scream over being alone, over nothing in the world mattering to him if they couldn’t be back in LA together. He’d smiled, too, mostly over the few minutes of video that Rhett had shot through the window, of Link outside with his marker and paper. Link had nearly forgotten about that, mostly because Rhett didn’t record much of their conversations. Most of them were just too private for the potential audience, so Rhett captured the moment, then switched off the camera for them to talk. Link missed those conversations more than he thought he would.

Link shook his head and tried to focus. He scribbled down his work for trigonometry class, letting the camera watch for a few minutes before switching it off to finish in silence. His mind wandered to Rhett, to the time they’d shared at the end of the school day. What was he going to do without those moments for five days? It was simple, he wouldn’t go without them. The thought of five days without that tiny bit of time they got, losing any chance to touch Rhett again, was just unbearable. It was worth getting caught for, worth getting into more trouble for, and he made up his mind. He flipped to a blank page in his notebook.

 

**_Meet me in the bathroom by the freshman lockers during your lunch. I’ll get a pass and meet you there as soon as lunch starts. I’m not going 5 days without you._ **

 

Link didn’t bother asking in his note, instead simply instructed Rhett to be there. Rhett wouldn’t be able to get him an answer anyway, not in time, so he figured if he put this in Rhett’s locker first thing in the morning, he’d go to the bathroom and hope for the best. If Rhett didn’t show, at least he tried.

* * *

 

“So tell me again why you have five days of detention?” Link’s mom eyed him across the countertop the next morning as he shoved half a piece of toast into his mouth at once. “Slow down before you choke.”

“I pushed a kid against a locker,” Link murmured, his cheek full of toast.

“Do you want to explain  _ why  _ you pushed someone against a locker? Maybe this time without food in your mouth?” She glanced at her watch, and Link knew she had to leave soon for her shift. He didn’t want to get into this, not over breakfast. What could he tell her? The truth? The look on her face said she was willing to be late to work to hear this answer, invested in finding out what would motivate her son to do something like this. He imagined her thought process went along the lines of “first my son runs away, then he starts getting violent at school, where did I go wrong?”, and he knew he had to explain  _ something _ .

“He said something stupid, and I was sick of hearing it from everybody. So I shoved him to show him it wasn’t okay for anybody to say that stuff. Anyway, the school said he’s not supposed to say it, but since I shoved him, they have to put me in detention.” Link said. His mom opened her mouth, then closed it again, not sure of what to say, so Link continued: “The principal said he would have suspended me, but that it sounded like the other kid was probably in the wrong, too.”

Link picked up another piece of toast, taking large bites and avoiding his mom’s eyes completely, studying the crumbs on his plate as if they were the most fascinating things on the planet.

“What’d he say?”

Link stayed silent, ducking his head and looking at his hands in his lap. If he waited long enough, maybe she’d have to go to work and he could get out of talking about it, at least for now. 

“Darlin’, you can tell me. What’d he say?” His mom dipped her head trying to catch his eyes, but he wouldn’t look at her.

“He, uh… he just said I was… well, it was just a really crummy word. I don’t want to talk about it.” Link sighed and stood up, walking toward the sink to put his plate in it. His mom stopped him, gently grabbing him by the wrist.

“Link, did he say you were…” she paused, like she wasn’t sure whether to use the word that the boy used, or to ask outright. Link stood there, squirming, afraid of what she might deduce. She had to have at least  _ considered _ it, that it probably didn’t look good for him to run away with his best friend. His depression on returning back to North Carolina, over being away from Rhett, couldn’t have helped, either. Surely it had given him away, Link thought.  _ She has to know _ . His eyes welled up, and he figured he should let her off the hook from trying to figure out how to ask.

“Gay. He said I was gay, mom. But he said it way worse than that, and it’s all anybody’s been sayin’ since I got back.” Link’s eyes betrayed him, a steady stream of tears starting that he couldn’t stop. He tugged his arm away, turning his back to his mom. He couldn’t look her in the eyes right now, and his heart felt like it might beat out of his chest. He felt her hand on the small of his back.

“I… I really hate to even ask this, but please know that I love you, and no matter what, we’ll figure things out together. But…” she took a deep, shaky breath, buying time, processing before answering the question. She used her hand to guide Link, turning him toward her so she could look up into his eyes. Even at 16, he towered over her. “Are you?”

Link moved away from her touch, putting as much distance between them as he could, his body hitting the counter as he stepped backward. He leaned against it, buried his face in his hands. For a long time, he didn’t respond. He simply cried, his body shuddering with tears. He couldn’t answer, couldn’t wrap his mouth around the word, so he stood there sobbing.

“Oh honey…” his mom stepped forward rubbed his arm with her hand, trying to reach to pull him into a hug. He shifted but still wouldn’t look at her. It wasn’t her fault he felt so emotional, overwhelmed, conflicted. He didn’t want to push her away, but part of him felt like he needed to be alone in this. It was clear she wasn’t going to let him go without at least a hug, so he leaned into the embrace, but he didn’t reciprocate it. She gave him a tight squeeze, then walked away. He heard the obvious sounds of a phone being dialed and wondered who his mom might be calling. Their preacher? A mental hospital? His dad?

“Charles Neal won’t be in school today. No, he’s not feeling well. Yes, I’ll stop by later to pick up his work. Thank you.” Link heard his mother place the phone back on the receiver, then pick it up again. The same thoughts raced through his mind -- who was she calling now?

“Sandy? Yeah, I’m not going to make it into work today. I think I caught that bug that’s been going around. Sorry to call in so late. Uh huh. Thanks. Buh-bye. You too.” She placed the phone back down.

_ So much for telling Rhett to meet me at lunch _ , he thought. Then he kicked himself for that being his first thought. He had no idea what his mom’s plans were, whether her instinct would be to drive him to a church or get angry or ground him further. He knew his mom meant what she had said, that no matter what, she loved him. But love and acceptance weren’t always the same thing.

“Why’d you…?” Link trailed off. She patted his arm, guiding him to sit back down.

“I think we both need some time to process everything.”

* * *

 

Rhett was sitting in an empty bathroom, waiting. He’d left a note in Link’s locker, hoping that if they couldn’t spend time together after school, at least they’d get some time during lunch. Unfortunately, it was starting to look like Link either didn’t get the note, or he couldn’t get out of class.  _ Dang it _ . Rhett had been hoping for a small moment of happiness. When lunch ended without a trace of Link, Rhett walked back to his class, defeated.

It wasn’t until homeroom that he realized Link wasn’t there at all. Rhett wondered if he was sick or if something had happened. He worried maybe Link was in trouble, or that the principal had changed his mind and suspended Link after all.  _ Great _ . He hoped he was wrong, that there was another explanation. He clenched his jaw, thinking about the fact that he couldn’t even call after school to see what was up.

After class, he stopped by his locker to grab the books he needed in order to finish homework that night. No notes from Link fluttered down, and his heart felt heavy at the thought. Even though he knew Link hadn’t been at school, he missed the now-familiar note passing they’d shared between lockers and in homeroom. Every time they found a new normal, a new way to make things work between them, things changed again, and Rhett was struggling to keep up. He silently prayed that Link would be back at school Friday so things could go back to normal, or as normal as things ever were for them.

“Are you okay, Rhett?” His mom must have been able to read his face the moment he got in the car because they were the first words she said, instead of her usual “hello” or “how was school?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Rhett didn’t want to go into any more detail. As far as he could tell, his parents were the reason he and Link had only one class together, the one that couldn’t be changed, since it was assigned by last name. He wasn’t allowed to see Link otherwise, resorting to sneaking around to get five minutes with him, so confiding in his mom wasn’t going to happen.

“You’re not fine. I can tell.”

“I’m fine,” Rhett snapped, then softened his tone. “I’m tired. It was a long day at school and I have a lot of homework. I’m gonna go to my room and work on it when I get home, okay?”

“I’d prefer you do it at the kitchen table, please.” His mother had been insisting he spend less time alone in his room after the incident with his wall, and he knew there was no getting out of this, so he nodded and then remained silent the rest of the ride home.

At the table, he set out his books and assignments, opening a notebook to a clean page. He knew it was risky to do this right in the middle of the kitchen where anyone could see, but his mom was in the living room, and there was no chance of him getting any homework done until he wrote out what was on his mind.

**_I’ve thought a lot about what you said I should do about Heather. I think you’re right, that it would be safer if I acted like I was with her, you know? If I told her I still wanted to date her? But I don’t want to kiss her, or take her to school dances, or anything like that. What if she expects me to do something with her? I don’t know. I just don’t want to think about being with her because it feels like a lie._ **

**_It isn’t really fair to her if she’s thinking that we’ll be high school sweethearts and get married and have kids, and I don’t really want that, not with her at least. It would hurt her so much to find out that I have a different high school sweetheart that I want all of that with, and eventually she’d have to find out, wouldn’t she? And I’m not sure that it’s fair to you, either, to have to see me pretending to be happy with her. I’m afraid that you might start to think I actually am happy with her, and I wouldn’t be. And it isn’t fair to me. It seems stupid to lie about this because we’re already not telling the truth on so much other stuff. I don’t want to add to it or pretend to be with somebody I’m not with. I already have to pretend I’m not with somebody I’m in love with._ **

**_Anyway, I told her I needed some time to get settled and then I’d talk to her about it, but I need to talk to her face to face and tell her it’s over. I just need to figure out how to tell her why, because I can’t tell her the real reason, can I? Nobody would get it. Even if it feels like everybody’s saying it, I don’t think everyone really thinks it, so I feel like I could probably tell her that I have a lot going on with my family and that I’m still grounded so it would be better if I wasn’t dating anybody._ **

**_I feel bad. It isn’t her fault that I don’t love her. And I do like her, she’s nice enough. I just love somebody else a lot, and I don’t want to think about being with anybody else. All the things I said on the trip and when we talked through the window are still true. I do still love you and I do still want to be with you forever. I don’t want you to think that my mind changed since we haven’t been able to talk as much._ **

**_I’m worried about you not being in school today (or I guess yesterday or whatever day it is when you’re back and you actually read this. You are coming back, right? Your mom didn’t like, move you out of the state without telling me? Haha). Anyway, I hope you’re okay. I wrote you a note to meet me at lunch, but since you weren’t there, you didn’t get it. It’s okay, I didn’t mind or anything. I was worried about you, or worried maybe you were upset because of the detention thing._ **

**_I feel like I should have been there to say something to that kid and then maybe you wouldn’t have detention. But you handled it, and I’m happy for that. I only heard one person say something today, so I guess maybe things are better since you shoved that kid. I don’t know. It’s all so messed up, Link. I wish we were back in LA. Even when things sucked, they were better than this because we could talk to each other about it._ **

Rhett heard his mom approaching and flipped to a new page, copying down the first problem for his government assignment. He started skimming the page, looking for the correct answer, then penned it down as his mother began to prepare dinner. He wanted to turn back, finish his letter to Link, but before he could, dinner was ready and he was placing his textbooks and spiral notebooks back into his backpack.

Throughout dinner, he was quiet, trying to avoid questions from his parents about his foul mood. His dad mostly discussed work and the latest things happening at the university. It all sounded dreadfully boring, and Rhett thought back to the night he and Link planned to run away, how the last thing he wanted was to end up bored and frustrated with work like his father was.

* * *

Link assumed his mother had called in so they could talk about things, but when they started to talk, she burst into tears. It took a few tries, but eventually they were able to make it through the discussion without her having to walk away to compose herself.

“Please don’t tell Rhett’s family. Please? I’m really afraid of what will happen.” He pleaded with his mom, begging her to keep this between them. He’d told her that they hadn’t planned any of this. He explained that love wasn’t the reason they ran away, and that he didn’t even know that he loved Rhett, not like that, when they’d left.

It was true. He’d left because he trusted Rhett, and trusted that they needed to leave to make their dreams happen. If Rhett didn’t want to go to college to be an engineer or something, then Rhett wasn’t leaving to go be a filmmaker by himself. It was important that they stay together, and when Link left for their journey to LA, he’d meant that as friends and brothers. Somewhere along the line things shifted, but Link couldn’t pinpoint exactly when his feelings changed, and he knew there were so many feelings that had stayed the same, ones he just hadn’t recognized before. When telling his mom about why he left, though, he was careful not to say that Rhett had suggested it, but made it sound like a conclusion they both came to. He didn’t need his mom to hate Rhett or think he’d pushed them. 

She asked if he thought maybe he was simply confused, that the time alone with Rhett made him think he was attracted to him or loved him. She suggested maybe time apart would show him that he wasn’t actually interested in being with Rhett. But Link knew that wasn’t the case. No amount of distance or time would change how he felt.

“Mom, I just feel like… like we’re soulmates. Like somehow we would have figured that out eventually, or at least I would have, even if we didn’t run away at all. It wasn’t us being close together, even though it probably helped me figure it out faster. It was always supposed to be like this.”

His mother asked a lot of questions, like what his plans were for the future, and whether or not he thought he was gay or if he was only in love with Rhett. He didn’t know -- Rhett was the only person he’d ever had feelings for like that, male or female, and he didn’t know what he wanted to consider himself.

“Maybe we should talk to the pastor and see how he suggests we handle all of this?” His mom offered, but Link shot her down. He knew what that meant. They’d been raised to think that being in love with someone the same gender as you was wrong, and he worried that the pastor would tell him he was going to hell. Maybe he was. It was something he was willing to risk if it meant being with Rhett.

His mom asked personal questions, too, about how he and Rhett acted around each other while they were gone, and if they shared a bed. Link tried to gloss over details, because when he shared them, she seemed shocked at best and upset at worst. After awhile, he asked if he could go to his room. He was tired, and he could read on her face that she was, too. Both of them were emotionally drained from the conversation.

“Link? You know I love you, right? Even if I don’t think this is right, and even though I don’t really know if I’m okay with it… I still love you. And I love Rhett, too. He’s a good kid. You’re both good kids. We’ll figure the rest out later.” She hugged him tightly.

“I love you, too. And please don’t tell them? It should come from Rhett when he’s ready, not from me and you.” His mom agreed this time, and he felt reassured in that, at least. He figured she wouldn’t tell anyone else out of fear for what they’d think or how it would reflect on her as a mom. Link knew how this town could talk.

That night, Link filmed and said he’d missed school, but he didn’t talk about why or cover anything that he and his mom had talked about. He wasn’t sure Rhett would want him to, and he worried that if Rhett’s parents found the camera and the recorded video, the evidence of their love story if Link revealed everything, he’d accidentally be the one who told them. Instead, he talked about being tired and wishing that he and Rhett were able to film together again instead of passing the camera back and forth. When he was done, he turned it off and placed it carefully in his backpack, wrapped in a tee shirt to keep it from getting broken on his school books, so Rhett could take his turn again.

* * *

 

No one in the office had many questions the next day about Link’s absence. He said he’d been sick, and everyone took the explanation at face value. He asked the principal if he needed to add a day to the end of his detention to make up for the one he’d missed, or if he needed to serve that during a lunch period or in a Saturday session.

“I talked to Tyler Geringer and a few other students who were around when the incident happened, and everyone, including Tyler himself, confirmed that he said some unkind words. Let’s call it good at the four days left on your detention. He won’t be saying those words again, and has been serving a detention of his own. Next time, though, I won’t be as lenient. So please, Link, do your best to ensure there isn’t a next time.”

“Yes, sir.” As Link walked to his locker, he felt a slight jab in the side of his arm. He turned to see Rhett.

“Read it later,” Rhett said quietly enough for no one else to overhear as he pressed a piece of paper into Link’s hand, then was gone as though he hadn’t been there at all. Link figured the quick pass-by was so no one would talk, and before he could look up again, Rhett was out of his line of sight completely. He walked to class, settled into his desk, and unfolded the note in a propped up textbook.

He read over it, then read it again.  _ Does Rhett really think I’m his high school sweetheart?  _ Link knew that Rhett had given him the ring, which he still wore, and which his mother mercifully never did ask about. He knew that ring meant  _ forever _ , and it was something they’d said to each other again and again, but he was still met with a fresh sense of awe and wonder at the fact that he was so loved. Rhett envisioned a future with him that included things like marriage and kids, even if he wasn’t sure how any of those things would be a reality for them. Statements like these, like the ones Rhett had shared in his note, made Link’s heart flutter. But then he felt worry, like Rhett might not be okay with the fact that Link had told his mom everything. He quickly penned a response.

**_I need to see you at lunch. Your lunch, not mine. Please. I’ll get a hall pass and meet you halfway through. Wait for me?_ **

As soon as the bell rang, he passed the door to the class he had next, making a beeline toward the class he knew Rhett had just gotten out of, hoping he’d run into him along the way. He wanted to be sure Rhett got the message instead of it getting lost inside of his locker. As he passed Rhett, he slipped the note into his hand and walk toward the drinking fountain casually. Leaning down, he got a drink like he’d planned to come this way because he was thirsty. When he was certain Rhett was far enough away, he turned back toward the classroom he’d intended to go to, making it inside just as the bell rang.

“Barely made it on time to avoid that tardy slip, Mr. Neal. Let’s try to be more punctual next time, yes?” His Civics teacher was stern, and he gave him a look that said  _ sit down. _ Link scurried to his seat and waited. All of it was worth it, would have been worth it even if he had gotten a tardy slip, if it meant he could see Rhett at lunch. Time couldn’t fly fast enough through the next two classes.

Halfway through his midday class, he walked toward the teacher’s desk. They were doing an in-class essay, and Link was nearly finished with it anyway, so he assumed he wouldn’t miss much if he excused himself to the restroom now. He asked his teacher, his palms sweating with the thought that he might be told no. Luckily, he secured the pass and walked through the hall toward the bathroom. He hoped Rhett hadn’t somehow dropped the note before reading it, and that Rhett wouldn’t be mad that he told his mother everything. He missed Rhett, and not seeing him was overwhelming, too. All of the possibilities swarmed his mind and he felt jittery. He tugged open the door to the bathroom, and as soon as Rhett saw him, he pulled Link into a hug.

“Where were you yesterday?”

“My mom called me in sick… we uh… I… I told her everything.” Link’s voice shook.

“Everything? Like…  _ everything  _ everything?” Rhett’s brows furrowed, wondering how much Link had shared and how much he’d kept private. Had he talked about their last night, the night they got so dangerously close, mere hours before having everything ripped away from them?

“I mean, I told her that I had detention, and she asked why, and when I said what Geringer said, she asked if… if maybe I was mad because he was right? Like, not right in what he said but like… accurate because I am?” Link stammered the words out. “I made her promise not to tell your parents, though. I wasn’t trying to speak for you or anything. But you know that if she knew that I was, and she knew that we were together, she’d probably just realize that we were together like that.”

Rhett pulled him into a hug and kissed Link’s hair.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You did the right thing telling her the truth. And thanks for askin’ her not to tell my parents. I’m not ready yet. I don’t know what they’ll say.” Link nodded against Rhett’s chest. “Can I ask you something?”

Link pulled back and looked into Rhett’s eyes.

“You can ask me anything. You know that, bo.” Link couldn’t imagine why Rhett would feel like he needed permission to ask Link something.

“Are… are you? Gay I mean?” Rhett said the word whisper-quiet, as if the world might shatter and break if he said it any louder. Where they were from, this sort of thing wasn’t okay, and Link knew that even though Rhett was as in this as he was, the thought of saying it out loud was not as easy.

“I don’t know. I told my mom I don’t know, either. I wish there was a word for ‘I don’t know what I am ‘cause I’ve only ever been in love with one person.’” Link shrugged.

“That makes sense.” Rhett leaned in and kissed Link softly. “I’ve only ever been in love with one person, too, y’know.” Link smiled at the thought that Rhett had only been in love with him, too.  A silent understanding passed between them. The feelings for any of the girls he’d dated before didn’t compare to what he felt for Link. 

“Did you tell Heather yet?” Link knew he was running out of time and had to get back to class to finish his essay. He didn’t want his teacher to be suspicious, but he had to ask.

“No. I gave Jamie a note telling her I needed to talk to her, though, and told her to give it to Heather for me since they have classes together. I’ll talk to her after school before I go home. I’m probably gonna tell her that I’m grounded too much and I really don’t think it’ll work out.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Link understood why Rhett had given Jamie the note. But he couldn’t help wondering if Jamie was going to read it and somehow put two-and-two together, since she’d broken up with Link, and now Rhett was telling Heather he wasn’t okay with getting back together with her, either. “I have to get back to class, probably.”

Neither of them made an effort to talk for a few moments, and finally Link stood on his tiptoes, tugging Rhett into a kiss, part desperate, part longing, part making up for all the time they didn’t have. They missed each other, and it was evident in their kiss. It was so different in North Carolina than it had ever been in LA. In LA, they had time, and didn’t kiss each other as much in such a short time frame, instead filling long hours with conversations and laughter. Here, though, there was pressure to make the most of what little time they had. A few stolen minutes here and there were hardly enough when before, they’d had nothing but time.

* * *

 

In homeroom, Link slid a note to Rhett, thankful that their teacher rarely paid attention to anyone, nose stuck in a book assuming the students were actually doing homework.

**_You’re talking to Heather after school today?_ **

**I don’t know. I told her to meet me, but I still don’t know what to say. She waited all this time while I was gone, so she’s probably going to be really pissed off that I’m telling her no now.**

**_Yeah. Good luck, though. I don’t know what you should say. Jamie broke up with me, and she just said she was seeing somebody else. You can’t really do that, can you?_ **

**No. Because then she’d ask who the someone else was, and then we’d both be totally screwed.**

Link smirked at that note. Maybe in another universe, another lifetime, the two of them could have been open about this, but here and now they couldn’t, and he had to smile to keep from tearing up over that fact.

**_What, you’re not going to flaunt it to the world? HA!_ **

**Was your mom mad at you when you told her?**

**_No. She cried a lot and kept suggesting that we talk to the pastor, but she wasn’t mad. I think she didn’t understand the whole thing. She asked a lot of questions, though. It felt like maybe she kind of already knew a little bit, because she didn’t seem surprised at all, just upset that I actually told her she was right._ **

**My dad would probably be furious. I don’t know what my mom would think. I guess at some point they’re going to find out because I mean the stuff I said. I’m not ready to say anything yet, though. I’m not that brave.**

**_You’re still brave. You drove all the way across the country because you didn’t like something your dad said. And I know. It’s okay. You don’t have to. My mom isn’t going to say anything._ **

Rhett let out a small sigh of relief. Even though Link had assured him of that earlier, it helped to hear it again. He knew eventually he’d have to tell his parents -- all of the things he envisioned for his future with Link involved his parents knowing, at some point or another, that he and Link were in love. Rhett wondered if Link, or worse, Link’s mom, would be willing to wait until after Rhett graduated college and moved far away to tell the truth.

**That’s not why I did it. Or not the only reason. But thank you.**

When the bell rang, Rhett gave Link a small smile, then left the classroom in the opposite direction of Link, who headed toward detention. When he opened his locker, he found the camera nestled there, the tapes in place next to it, and made his decision to head to his mom’s car before Heather could find him. He wanted to get home and watch to see what Link had filmed instead.

“You look like you had a better day today,” Rhett’s mom said, noticing his mood as soon as he stepped into the car.

“Yeah, today was alright.”

“Do you have any homework to do?” She eyed his backpack.

“No, not really,” he lied. Saying yes would mean having to sit at the table and work on it in front of her, meaning hours before he could watch the tapes. “My only assignment is to read something for English class, so I think if it’s okay, I’d like to do that in my room in quiet?”

“Okay, that’s fair. Reading you can do in your room. Anything else, though, I want you in the kitchen. You spend too much time in that room. Now, I need to swing by the grocery store real quick to pick up a few things for dinner.”

Rhett nodded and sank deeper into the seat of the car. Of all days, today was the worst day for his mother to need to get groceries. All he wanted was to see what Link had filmed, hear his voice for more than five minutes at a time. When his mom finally pulled into their driveway over an hour later, he practically bolted out of the car.

“Rhett, help me with the groceries, hon.”

Rhett slowed his footsteps, walking toward the trunk and scooping as many bags as he could get onto one arm. There was no way he was letting this take two trips. When the groceries were unloaded and put away, he was finally able to retreat to his room, closing the door and locking it quietly behind him. He hoped his mother didn’t hear the door lock.

He wrapped a tee shirt around the speaker on the camera, hoping to muffle the sound, then pressed play. He couldn’t help but smile as Link’s face sprang to life on the screen, and he watched intently as Link spoke, then started doing homework.  _ Of course he’d film himself doing homework. _ Rhett smirked to himself.

After watching the tape the whole way through, he turned the camera toward himself and pressed record.

“I just got home from school. I kind of dodged my girlfriend… Ex-girlfriend?... she wanted to talk and see if we were still together, but the thing is, so much has changed since we left town a few months ago. I don’t even feel like I’m the same person I was when we left. I feel like I’ve grown up a lot. We  _ had  _ to grow up a lot on the road, with work and all that.

I don’t want to sound arrogant or anything like that, but I know it’s kind of going to come off that way… so I want to apologize now in case we ever do actually make this into a documentary, and this part gets left in it, and if Heather sees it… but Link and I had to grow up on our trip. We had to pay for groceries and places to sleep and gas, and all those other things without anybody’s help. We worked for those things, and we worked really hard for it. So in a lot of ways, I feel like while I was gone, I kind of became a man.

And I feel like Heather’s been here in school, and that’s great and everything… but I feel like things are too different now, like I grew up in some ways that maybe she didn’t. And that’s okay, she didn’t have to. Oh gosh, this all sounds really stupid and bad. I should probably record over it. If we ever  _ do  _ make this a documentary, this whole piece has to get cut out because it’s terrible.”

Rhett couldn’t think of a way to make the things he’d said better, so he left it there, turning off the camera and sticking it in his closet. At least Link might find it entertaining, or get a laugh out of it, even if it was terrible to say he’d matured when Heather hadn’t. He didn’t know, maybe she had.

At dinner, he twirled his spaghetti on his fork as his mom talked about everyone she’d seen at the grocery store that afternoon, and then talked about how she’d run into Ben’s mom at work. Ben had been one of Rhett’s best friends in middle school, and even though they drifted apart as they went through the early years of high school, Ben was still one of those guys he could nod at in the hallway and it be received with a smile. They weren’t  _ not  _ friends, they just weren’t really close anymore, either.

“Helen said that she heard Link got suspended for beating a freshman up.”

Rhett almost felt his eyes roll out of his head at the sheer level of absurdity in his mother’s statement.

“He didn’t get suspended. He got detention. And he didn’t beat the kid up. And I’m pretty sure it was a soph...” Rhett trailed off and felt his ears redden as both of his parents turned to him. He hadn’t spoken more than a few words at the dinner table since he’d gotten home weeks ago, and now he was saying plenty about someone he wasn’t even supposed to be seeing. “Or, uh… that’s what I heard anyway…”

“Did you happen to hear why he  _ didn’t _ beat the kid up?” Rhett’s dad asked, resting his chin on his hand while looking at Rhett, his eyes occasionally darting over toward Rhett’s mother knowingly.

“The… the, uh… he…” Rhett stammered. How did he explain what had happened without it seeming like he’d heard the full story from Link? “Apparently the kid said some pretty crappy stuff -- sorry, crummy stuff -- about Link, and he kind of shoved him against a locker. I think both of them ended up getting detention over it.”

“What did he say?” Rhett’s dad was still not letting the issue drop.

“I don’t know,” Rhett lied, looking down at his spaghetti and twirling it again, his fork still moving in circles well after the noodles were positioned fully around it, like he couldn’t bring himself to take the bite that was so perfectly prepared.

“Well, what Helen was saying was that the kid called him a… well, a gay.” She lowered her voice, and her tone made it clear that wasn’t the word that was actually used in that conversation. Rhett placed the spaghetti in his mouth, trying to take a long time chewing on purpose in hopes that no one would ask him anything about it. But Rhett wasn’t that lucky.

“What do you think, Rhett? Do you think it was okay for him to shove the kid?” His dad was back on him again.

“Well, no. I mean, he got detention for a reason, obviously. But it’s not cool to say stuff like that about people, so I think they were kind of both wrong.” Rhett managed to keep his voice even and his words slow, hoping that his voice wouldn’t betray him. Of course he didn’t think Link was in the wrong. Hearing those words non-stop would mess with anyone, but they’d especially mess with someone when there was an element of truth to it.

“Do you think there’s any merit to what the kid said?”

“No?” Rhett’s voice cracked, the word coming out like a squeak. His voice was betraying him, and he did everything he could to shovel the spaghetti into his mouth further. Luckily, his mother continued on with a story about how she was pretty sure the butcher had given her an arm roast instead of a rump roast at the grocery store. He wasn’t sure if she’d changed the subject because she sensed his discomfort and wanted to give him some sort of reprieve from his father’s questioning, or if she was truly bored with the conversation and still had another story to tell. Either way, he silently gave thanks for the change in topic.

That night, when the house grew quiet and he knew no one would hear, he fished the camera out of his closet and popped a new tape in. He may not have been ready to come out to his parents, but if Link was brave enough to tell his mom, then Rhett had a story to tell, too. He pressed record and spoke quietly into the camera.

“There’s something I haven’t told you. By you I mean the viewer, not like… Link. It’s something  _ we  _ haven’t told you, but he isn’t here to tell you, so I’m going to.” Rhett paused, taking a deep breath and preparing himself for what he needed to say next. “This time, it’s going to be the truth, the parts we kept the camera off for, the  _ whole  _ story. So if you don’t want to hear it, it’s probably best that you turn this video off now.”

Rhett talked to the camera late into the night, filling most of a tape, and placed it back in his closet when he was done. Because he’d been up so late, he nearly missed the bus to school. He rushed out the door, forgetting to put the camera in his bag for Link to see what he’d said.

When he opened his locker, a note fluttered out of it.

**_It’s supposed to be really warm even though it’s January. Meet me outside during my lunch period? For a few minutes at least?_ **

Rhett practically counted the minutes, watched them tick down on the clock in every morning class he had. When the time came, he asked for a bathroom pass and walked down the hall, slipping out the back door of the school undetected, heading to where kids usually ate outside on nice days. Link spotted him, gave him a small nod, and set his tray down, walking around the side of the building. Rhett followed after him slowly, looking around to see if anyone noticed him. He didn’t see anyone looking, just a few other students outside eating their lunches on the unseasonably warm day.

“Hey.” Link looked casual, leaning against the brick wall of the school building. The way he was angled had Rhett towering over him, so Rhett settled in next to him, his body scraping down the wall slightly to almost meet Link’s normal height. Link got the message, pushed off the wall and stood in front of Rhett instead, their eyes meeting.

“Hey,” Rhett responded. “I can’t stay out here long.”

“I know.”

“I forgot the camera at home. I was going to bring it to you today.” Rhett was still kicking himself. He wanted Link to see that even though he wasn’t ready to tell his parents, their story still mattered to him. He hoped Link wouldn’t be mad that he’d told the whole story. It was going to get out eventually, probably before they ever got their documentary made.  _ If  _ it ever got made in the first place.

“It’s okay.” Link smiled, reached his hand toward Rhett. Rhett took it, tugging Link in for a soft kiss. Link placed his hand on the wall for balance, Rhett’s lips soft against his, and he let himself melt into it.

* * *

 

Heather bounded outside.

“Did anyone see Rhett? I thought I saw him come out here.” Heather looked around but didn’t see the familiar tall frame. One of the boys who was sitting on the grass outside shrugged.

“I think he went that way?” the other helpfully pointed around the corner. Heather thanked him, walking along the sidewalk to the edge of the building. She turned, and her jaw dropped.

“What the  _ actual  _ heck?” her voice was shrill.

Link jumped back, his eyes wide and mouth slack. Rhett stood up quickly, his back dragging on the brick wall, causing his jacket to tear slightly. Heather stalked over and slapped him in the face, hard. He could feel the heat and prickle of pain across his skin as he reached up, placing his own hand over it.

“Rhett McLaughlin, I never want to see you again.” She stormed off, and Rhett’s eyes followed her, only to see a handful of people standing there staring, having rushed over in response to her scream.  _ Shit _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks always to rhinkipoo and clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for their help beta reading and editing this chapter.


	23. Chapter 23

Word travels fast in a small town. Rhett always knew that was the case, but he never realized how true it was until the word traveling around was about him. He wanted desperately to go home, to escape the murmurings and whisperings going on behind his back in each class, but he knew home would be worse, and he wanted to avoid that, too. He longed to be away from this and wished there was any place he could go. He wondered if he and Link ran away again, went somewhere other than LA, and didn’t make the mistake of calling home, how fast they’d get caught. Maybe if they pulled a page from Jack’s book and went hitchhiking, they could make it someplace, anyplace.

It wasn’t just the students talking. By his next class, even teachers had gotten word, and he wondered how it had gotten through the school so quickly. When he reached homeroom, the teacher suggested he sit on the opposite side of the classroom from Link, their ability to pass notes cut off completely. Link looked like he might cry, which was making it even harder for Rhett to keep his composure.

The bell rang, and Rhett stayed in his seat as the classroom cleared out. Link had detention and needed to head that way, but as soon as Link stood, Rhett followed him. Now that everyone knew, there was no need to be discreet. Rhett walked with him toward the detention classroom, and before Link headed inside, Rhett took his hand and squeezed it.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen.” Rhett’s voice was shaking and he was gripping Link’s hand almost painfully hard.

“I don’t know, either. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. We should have --” Link started, but Rhett stopped him, putting a finger to his lips.

“Don’t. We’re in this together.” Rhett looked around. The hallways had emptied. Link needed to get inside the detention room or risk having days added to his punishment. But right now, it didn’t matter. “I love you. Don’t forget that. See you Monday?”

“Yeah, see you Monday. I’ll miss you this weekend.” Link gave his hand a soft squeeze and told Rhett he loved him, too. Rhett studied his face, and Link stared back, then broke their gaze to go inside the classroom, turning to look through the glass pane in the door and see Rhett walking away.

Rhett rested easy in the fact that there was no way his parents would possibly know yet. He tried to think of the best way to tell them as he gathered his books and placed them in his bag. He’d do it himself, maybe at dinner. There was no way they wouldn’t find out from someone. He walked outside and opened the car door, placing his bag in the floor before climbing in.

Today, his mother had nothing to say, instead staring straight ahead with tears streaming down her face. Her knuckles were white from how tightly she gripped the steering wheel.  _ Crap _ . Somehow, word had traveled beyond the school’s borders and into the town itself. Now everyone knew, and there was no turning back or keeping it quiet.

“Mom?” Rhett offered. It was clear she knew when she flexed her hands and then gripped the wheel tighter, like she might break it right off.

“Not now.” She spoke through clenched teeth, seemed afraid that saying anything else would break her into a thousand pieces. Rhett felt pangs of anguish through his heart. He wondered if this was how his mother had responded to him leaving, or if the thought of him kissing Link was worse than the thought of him being  _ gone _ . He leaned his head against the window of the car and squeezed his eyes shut. Behind his eyelids, he saw a pair of blue eyes looking back at him, standing in the hallway, and he had put his hands over his face to keep himself from crying.

When they pulled into the driveway, his father’s car was there, and he was instantly afraid. His father was never home at this time. It wasn’t a good sign, and it was clear that he was in serious trouble. He had the feeling that his coming out wouldn’t be as well-received as Link’s had, even if Link’s had been difficult and tearful.

* * *

 

Link wondered how long it would take for Rhett’s parents to find out what they’d done. He chewed on the metal of his pencil as he sat in detention, staring at the clock. He wanted to get his work done, but he knew there was no way he could focus. Getting caught had only fueled the fire, made people talk more, and he felt peoples’ eyes burning through his skin.

Their words hurt him, too, but at least he didn’t have to worry about his mother finding out like this, since he’d already beaten everyone else to the punch. She’d known that he and Rhett had kissed before, so hearing they’d gotten caught kissing at school wouldn’t be so much of a surprise to her. He imagined for Rhett’s family, it would be much different -- they’d be blindsided by it. He felt for them, but he mostly felt bad for Rhett, because he went from not being ready to  _ having  _ to be ready. He felt guilt, like it was his fault, but they’d both been in this, and like Rhett said, they were in it together no matter what.

After detention, Link walked home. He figured he was imagining things, but it felt like each car passing him contained someone staring through to his soul. He knew word would travel fast, and it fueled his paranoia. It felt like every car that drove by knew not only who he was, but what he’d been caught doing.

He arrived home to an empty house and poured himself a bowl of cereal, but realized a few bites in that he wasn’t hungry and dumped it down the drain. He knew his mom wouldn’t be home for several hours, so he paced the house, unable to calm the energy and nervousness within him. Before he could even realize what he was doing, his feet propelled him to his room to grab handfuls of change from his change jar, then led him to the nearest payphone halfway into town.

He wanted more than anything to let his hands take control the way he’d let his feet lead, to let himself dial Rhett’s number out of instinct, habit, love, but he knew now wasn’t the time. Rhett’s mom was home and him calling wasn’t an option. Instead, he pressed in the number he’d copied down miles and miles ago.

“Mama Cheryl? It’s Link.”

He filled her in on everything, trying not to cry at the sound of her comforting voice. The last time they’d spoken, it had been Christmas. Link began filling her in on the story, starting with being forced to come home, Link in handcuffs no less. He told her how his mom had reacted to him coming out and telling her he was in love with Rhett. He stood there, feeding coins into the phone each time the mechanical voice said the time was running out on their call.

“Do I need to let you go?” he’d asked her halfway through the call, and she’d responded that no, she had all the time in the world to talk to him if he needed someone to listen. He told her what happened that day, that he had no idea what was going to happen when Rhett’s parents found out. She told him that she’d be thinking of both of them, and that she hoped things went okay for Rhett. Link worried that they wouldn’t, no matter how hard they both hoped and prayed. Eventually, Link started to run out of coins, having underestimated how many he’d need to tell the whole story of their return home and to catch Mama Cheryl up on everything that had happened. They had no choice but to say goodbye, to end the call while Link choked back tears. When he arrived home, the house was still empty.

Link didn’t realize he’d dozed off on the couch until he heard his mother walk in. He sat up, looking around while trying to wake himself up. He saw her put her purse on the counter, and when she walked over to him, the look on her face telling him she knew. He pulled his legs toward him, giving her room to sit down on the couch.

“Do you want to tell me about school today?”

Link moved his legs onto her lap, and she forced a smile. He laid his head back on the couch and covered his face with his arm.

“No. But it sounds like you probably already know how school went, or at least part of school.” He tried not to let his annoyance seep through. It wasn’t his mother he was annoyed with. It was this damned small town he lived in, the way that word traveled before anyone could even get the truth out. And this time, the truth  _ was  _ out, but it was hardly what Link really wanted people to know.

If his mother knew, that meant Rhett’s family knew. He wished it were Monday so he could see Rhett, tell him things would be okay. He had the sinking feeling that things were very much not okay at the moment.

“I know you’d hoped to keep things a secret until Rhett was ready, but it looks like his family’s going to find out now.” She patted his leg, as though it was a way of reassuring him, but he thought he sensed a tone of judgment in her voice. “Sometimes when you want to keep things a secret, you have to work hard to actually be discreet.” She gently moved his legs and stood, walking to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Link continued to lay there with his arm over his head.

“Do you think  _ everybody _ knows?” Link didn’t move. Instead, he hollered in from the living room.

“It’s a small town. I think it’s pretty safe to say most people do. Or they will pretty quick.”

Link’s only response was a pained groan.

The weekend went by at a slow crawl, with Link wondering how things were going for Rhett. His mom eventually took the phone off of the hook because it rang non-stop for most of the morning Saturday. Link wondered how people could be so bold to call his mother herself for details instead of getting it through the glorified game of telephone like usual, word traveling from one mom to another until everyone thought they had all the details.

He hadn’t yet put two-and-two together, that the calls weren’t to get information, not really. Some were partially about that, but mostly the calls were a warning, a word that Link wouldn’t be allowed over to spend the night, or that they hoped he wouldn’t be allowed on the bus with younger kids, as though him kissing Rhett was something that might rub off on someone else. His mother had fielded enough calls before he woke up to know that the safe bet was to stop answering the phone altogether, to let everyone calling get a busy signal instead.

Link sat at the table doing homework, then helped his mom clean the house on Sunday. Mostly, he did anything he could to keep his mind off of thinking about how Rhett was doing. His mother stayed home from church, he assumed so she could avoid the shame of being there when everyone knew. She reminded him, sometimes too much, that she loved him. He wondered if she was trying to convince him or convince herself. It was when he saw the compassion in her eyes behind the pain that he figured she wasn’t trying to convince either of them, but rather was reminding them both instead.

On Sunday night, he started a note to Rhett, hoping to pass it to him in the morning, but fell asleep on his notebook. When he woke Monday, half of the page was smudged with drool, but he figured he’d re-write it and give it to Rhett later in the day.

He never got the chance, though, because Rhett never showed up to school. Link wondered what had happened, if maybe Rhett was sick, or if his parents had done what Link’s mother had done, given him some time off so they could talk and process things. He held out hope until Tuesday, when Rhett still wasn’t there. By Wednesday, he was in a panic. He couldn’t call, he couldn’t ride his bike over to Rhett’s house. He couldn’t do anything to get in touch with him. Instead he had to wait and hope that Rhett would find a way to talk to him.

He scuffled home from school Wednesday, having served the last day of his detention. Before going inside, he stopped at the mailbox, pulling out bills and a grocery ad mailer, but in the back was a small envelope, addressed to him in Rhett’s familiar handwriting.

**_Hey, Link. I’m writing you this because I don’t really know how else to get in touch with you. If I call you, I’ll get in trouble, and if you call me, I’ll get in trouble. I can’t come over there, and you can’t come here, but I also knew you’d be worried. You can’t reply to this letter because my parents will probably see it, which means I don’t know when I’m going to get to talk to you next and that terrifies me._ **

**_My parents didn’t take it well. I guess that’s probably obvious since I haven’t been back at school. The thing is, I won’t be back at all. My parents took me out of Harnett. They thought it would be best if I went someplace more… structured? So they sent me to a private school. It’s a long drive, about 45 minutes each way, but I think they did that on purpose. An hour and a half of drive time makes it pretty impossible for me to find a way to see you. It’s funny though, my dad thinking that the best way to fix the fact that his son is gay is to send him to a school that has nothing but guys in it. Ha._ **

**_Don’t worry, though. None of them are as handsome as you are. You’re still the only one I have eyes for, so you can get that thought out of your head right now. You should see my uniform. It actually looks really nice, even though the pants are a little bit short. It’s hard to find good uniform pants that are long enough when you’re this tall. My mom suggested that we custom order some, but it’ll take a long time and be really expensive. My dad says the tuition is already a big expense that he didn’t really expect to have right now._ **

**_I’m pretty sure I’m grounded until the end of the century. Probably the next one, too, if they can ground me past high school, past the end of the century anyway. And my dad said if I don’t make straight A’s the rest of the year, then I better be prepared for military school._ **

**_Anyway, I probably should wrap this up. I don’t know when I’m going to hear from you, or how. I’m not really sure if I’ll get to hear from you at all and it makes me sad. I already miss you a lot. How did we go from being together all the time to not getting to be near each other at all? It’s so stupid. Anyway, I guess since you can’t reply to this letter, hopefully you’ll at least get the letter. I still mean everything I said, and I’m still gonna wait for you. I’ll be 18 soon. Not soon enough, but maybe that’ll make things better._ **

**_Love you._ **

**_Rhett_ **

The letter was marked with wet spots, the telltale shape of tears splattered on the page. Link’s heart ached, knowing how hard that letter must have been for Rhett to write. Rhett had said he wasn’t allowed to write back. The fact that he couldn’t was more soul-crushing than the entire town knowing they were together.

* * *

 

“That your boyfriend?”

Rhett looked up, spying the first friend he’d made at his new school peeking around his locker door at him. Riley was loud, a little bit obnoxious, but at least he’d taken the time to get to know Rhett and lead him around to his classes.

“What? No. He’s…” Rhett trailed off.

“I’m screwin’ with you, man. It’s hard adjusting to a new school, good to bring some old memories. Cool postcard.” Riley nodded to the postcard that Rhett had taped into his locker near the picture of Link. He’d added a few touches to his locker, placing the two dancing cacti on his locker shelf. Rhett had barely managed to save the figurines from the trash, his father discarding them when he’d gotten home and swiped everything of Rhett and Link’s out of the car and into the garbage, like he could erase the trip from existence. Rhett thought the cactus figurines would be safest at school. Really, he wanted anything that would remind him of Link there with him to give him courage during the school day.

“Thanks,” Rhett replied, a little bit too late after getting lost in his own thoughts.

“You from there or something?” Riley asked as Rhett closed his locker door, giving his lock a spin before slinging his bag over his shoulder.

“Nah, that town? I was only there for a few hours, when we ran out of gas.” Rhett laughed, then realized he was giving away too many details. “I kind of went traveling the end of last year.” Rhett glossed over the story now, trying to keep details vague.

“Where’d you go?” Riley cocked his head as he looked at Rhett. Rhett worried that Riley could read his face, read all of the memories and love and hurt written all over him, but he knew that he was being silly. Riley only knew what he’d told him, what he’d seen at a glance in his locker, so he couldn’t know everything that had happened in the last three months.

“Out to LA,” Rhett smiled, keeping information about the trip to a minimum, but now that he’d opened the door to it, Riley wanted to know more.

“LA? Awesome! Did you go to Hollywood? Did you see any movie stars? Was it over Christmas break? Did you go to the beach?”

“Yes, LA, yes, I  _ worked _ in Hollywood, no, I didn’t see any movie stars, yes, it was over Christmas break and also a little before that, and yes, I spent a lot of time at the beach playing guitar and drinking beer.” Rhett embellished on some details, tried to gloss over others, and instantly regretted saying that he worked in Hollywood. Riley had asked so many questions at once that his head was spinning, so he ended on a note that made it seem like he was out there partying instead of working and trying to make a life for himself and for Link.

He wasn’t willing to answer any more questions, but he didn’t know how to get Riley to stop asking. Luckily, Rhett reached the class he and Riley both had, and they slipped into their seats right before the bell rang. Rhett still had a lot of adjusting to do at his new school, and he wondered if it would ever feel like  _ his  _ school at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks always to Rhinkipoo and Shewasjustagirl/Clemwasjustagirl for their editing prowess, reading, and support with this chapter and this fic. Love you both to pieces.


	24. Chapter 24

**_January_ **

School. Homework. Sleep. Repeat. In the first few days after Rhett left, Link figured if he focused on getting through the day, he could dull the pain of missing him. He missed his face like hell each time he walked through the hallways at school. He missed the way Rhett smiled. He missed how he smelled and how soft his lips were. He missed their late night chats in the motel room, the way they’d talk about everything and nothing. He missed their written conversations through the window, even if those had only ever been a poor substitute for real contact.

The thing he missed most, though, was the way their friendship had transformed before his eyes, before either of them realized what was happening. He had expected that his first love would hit him hard, a love-at-first-sight moment that had made him feel like he’d driven head first into a brick wall. Instead, he got a slow transformation over time, and he realized the brick wall moment happened in first grade, when they’d bonded over curse words scratched into desks and their shared punishment during recess. Everything after that was a slippery slope of emotions, and he knew now that sometimes love itself doesn’t just hit you. It sneaks up on you and tugs you in before you realize you’re in its grasp.

He tried to push the thoughts of loneliness and longing out of his mind every time they reared their ugly heads, though. He said hi to the few friends he still had. Most of them had washed their hands of him, or had been told by their parents to stay away from Link, as though they feared he might somehow rub off on their children. He focused on those he had, and ignored those he didn’t, just trying to get through.

But sometimes he couldn’t keep thoughts of Rhett out of his head, and that night at dinner, he sat twisting the ring. He stared at the patch of wall behind his mom, lost in his own mental picture of love and how things had changed. He’d forgotten that his mother was talking, and he didn’t even notice when she stopped talking mid-sentence.

“Link?” He snapped to attention at that, focusing on his mother again. Her expression told him she’d said his name more than once before finally cutting through his brain fog.

“Sorry, what? I kind of spaced out.” Link stated the obvious, and the corner of his mother’s mouth curled up in the half grin most people knew as his own signature look.

“I noticed. Can I ask you something, sweetie?” Her voice was warm and sympathetic. She knew things had been difficult for him, and in trying to understand everything as best as she possibly could, she’d asked him a lot of questions over the last month.

“Sure.” Link nodded and slipped the ring back securely into place now that his focus had returned. He had no recollection of what they’d originally been talking about. He hoped her question wasn’t related to that, because he’d have no clue how to respond.

“I’ve been noticing you mess with that ring on your finger when you’re thinking about Rhett. You know that I know you didn’t have it when you left. Can you tell me more about it? Did Rhett give that to you?”

In some ways, Link was amazed that it had taken her this long to ask. She had to have noticed it before now, but she’d kept quiet. Link filled her in on the story, explaining that Rhett had given it to him for Christmas. He smiled, telling her how at first, they’d lost it in the excitement of Christmas and the hug they’d shared.

“He gave it to me the night before we called you… the, uh… the night before we got taken home.” Link’s expression soured as he remembered how things had changed so quickly for them, how their promise of forever faded quickly into being ripped apart at the seams.

“The ring means forever. It means that no matter what, we’re in this for the long haul. He sold his guitar to buy it. I mean, in the long run it doesn’t really matter, because we came home and he doesn’t need it anymore. But when he gave it to me it seemed like a big deal. He really loved that guitar, and we thought we might still need it.”

“It sounds pretty special, then. It looks nice.” She picked up her empty dinner plate and walked over to the sink. Link was satisfied that she was letting the conversation end there. He didn’t feel like sharing any more details that night.

His mother had taken the time to learn a lot, but there was still a lot she hadn’t asked about, and still more that Link would never tell her. He hadn’t told her about the fight that happened while they were busking, because even though it was too late for her to have intervened, he knew she’d be worried about him. He didn’t tell her about Mama Cheryl, in an attempt to keep her from getting in trouble for the way she’d helped them out for so long.

The time in LA wasn’t a story you could just sit down and tell someone start-to-finish, and Link unfurled it slowly. It gave him the opportunity to keep remembering it. It had taken his mom so long to understand that this wasn’t a love that grew solely from close proximity, but instead a soulmate kind of love, the kind that blossomed for years. It was all-consuming, inevitable, inescapable, and Link believed in the depths of his soul and that he and Rhett would have found their way to each other even if they’d never left.

* * *

 

 

**_February_ **

Rhett hated his new school. He wondered how long he could call it  _ new  _ when he’d already been there a month, but he hated it all the same. Riley was nice enough, the closest thing to a real friend he had there. Even if Riley barely knew him and didn’t know the reason he’d joined the school in the first place, right in the middle of January, it was nice to have someone. The school was miserable outside of that. Most of the other students were dreadfully stuck up, private school kids with rich parents.

But the commute was the worst part. It was a full 45 minutes each way on a daily basis to Raleigh and back. The drive was overwhelming, limiting his chance to see any of his old friends. He knew his parents wouldn’t let him see Link, but it was lame to not get to see any of his other Buies Creek friends. There were private schools closer to home. Rhett wondered if his dad had been unable to get him into those, or if the hour and a half total commute each day was to ensure Rhett didn’t have time to have a social life. If he was constantly in the car, at school, or sleeping, his parents had a pretty good handle on his time and he couldn’t get into any trouble, or get any ideas about seeing Link.

His parents still didn’t trust him with a car. Even after he’d been home this long, they took turns driving him to school and back. He hated trying to make small talk with them and prayed they’d get bored with driving him soon. Eventually, they’d have to give in and let him make the drive himself, he hoped, and spare him the conversations each day. His father always seemed to look at him with a mixture of disgust and concern, during every drive, at every meal. Rhett wanted to escape that, to have the peace of driving himself, respite from the disappointment his father clearly held.

More than once, his father had mentioned the possibility of sending Rhett to military school if he ever caught him with some boy again, and Rhett wanted to tell him exactly how he felt, an expletive-laden speech on the meaning of love. He wanted to shout that even when he and Link fought, their relationship was healthier and stronger than his parents’ marriage. But since he knew his father blamed Rhett running away for the troubles they had in the first place, Rhett left his words unsaid and bit his tongue most days.

But on this day, he’d had enough. He started to complain about the commute, about how frustrating it was that he didn’t have time for anything outside of school and homework. And that’s when his father put his foot down.

“You brought this on yourself, Rhett,” his father said sternly.

“I fell in love. You’re freaking punishing me because I fell in  _ love _ . Do you realize how stupid that sounds?” Rhett was sick of skirting around it. He was sick of his family trying to make it seem like anything other, anything less, than it was. He knew he and Link hadn’t always gone about things the right way, and he knew that running away wasn’t the right way to get his parents to trust him, but he couldn’t listen to this anymore.

“You’re not in love with him. It’s lust, plain and simple,” his father stated matter-of-factly, like he was in Rhett’s brain and could tell that it wasn’t love driving things. Rhett was furious. If his father had paid any attention at all, he’d know that it was love, not lust, that ruled what he and Link had together.

“It’s love, dad.”

“It’s sinful is what it is.” His father wouldn’t look at him. His eyes tightened and squinted, like he was doing everything he could to keep from saying more to Rhett about this, but Rhett wasn’t about to let him drop the subject, not now, not when his dad said that word.  _ Sinful _ .

“Sinful because I’m not married and you don’t want me involved with someone? Or sinful because he’s a guy? You wouldn’t have yanked me out of Harnett if I had been caught doing something major with Heather, but I so much as  _ kiss  _ Link and you’ve ripped me out of there to this damn school with these rich kids and their snotty attitudes and it’s stupid!” As soon as the words flew from Rhett’s mouth, his father yanked the steering wheel sideways. The car behind them honked loudly as Mr. McLaughlin crossed into the slow lane and onto the shoulder, slamming the brakes.

“You  _ know  _ why it was sinful. I don’t want to hear another word about him again, Rhett. Do you understand me?” He was furious, the veins in his forehead bulging and his face turning bright red. He leaned toward Rhett, and for a moment, Rhett flinched like his dad might haul off and hit him. It was then that Rhett realized he didn’t care. If his father  _ did  _ hit him, it would just give them one more reason to drive a wedge between themselves, so he kept pushing.

“I gave Link a ring. Did you know that? I told him I’m going to marry him, and we’re going to have kids together, and I mean every word of it. Did you know that dad? I’ll be eighteen soon, and there is nothing you can do about any of it. And you know the first thing that I’m going to do when I marry him? I’m going to change my last name. I’d rather  _ die  _ than be a McLaughlin for the rest of my life.” Rhett opened the door and grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder in a fluid movement as he climbed out of the car. He slammed the door and started walking before his father could process what he’d said and respond.

He was only about ten minutes away from the school on foot. Rhett figured it wouldn’t kill him to walk the rest of the short distance. His father moved the car slowly forward and hollered for him, but Rhett just stalked straight ahead like he didn’t hear a thing. His father followed him with the car the rest of the way to school. Rhett figured it was so his father could keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t make a run for it. When his father saw Rhett approach the school, he sped off. Rhett heard the acceleration of the car, and knew that this would only extend his punishment. He didn’t care. What could they ground him from? All he wanted was to be near Link, and that was the only thing he couldn’t have, so he saw no harm in talking back.

Riley poked his head around Rhett’s locker door, taking in the look on his face, still twisted with anger.

“Damn, you look thrilled to be here today.” Riley’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, and Rhett couldn’t help but smirk.

“Yeah, just been one of those mornings.” He gathered his books for the day.

“One of those mornings where you randomly jump out of your car and walk the rest of the way while your dad screams after you? Yeah, I can tell it’s been one of those days.”

Rhett studied Riley’s face, trying to figure out how much of the scene he had heard. There was no way Riley could have heard what took place inside of the car. Unfortunately, Riley had seen enough, and Rhett wondered how much longer he’d be able to skirt around the truth before it all came out. Before  _ he  _ came out.

* * *

 

**_March_ **

“I’m going to run to the grocery store. Need anything?” It was late Saturday afternoon, and Link was sitting at the kitchen table, books spread in front of him. His mother rested her hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I need to get out of the house. If I stare at this math book much longer, my eyes are gonna fall right out of my head.” Link closed his book, paper sticking out to mark the page he was on, and stood up.

His mother’s expression said everything. Link willingly getting out of the house was nothing short of a miracle. He’d been trying to make an effort, but school was about as far as he could push it at this point. He had let most of his few remaining friendships lapse. Rhett talked to Ben, but not really anyone else. Invitations to spend the night,to work on school projects, or just to hang out all dried up after his kiss with Rhett, and he stopped making an effort to connect with friends he couldn’t hang out with outside of school. But his mother had tried hard to make his life as normal as possible, and he was throwing her a bone. He was getting out of the house not because of homework, but because he wanted to prove to her that things were okay, even when he didn’t feel like they were.

On the other side of town, Rhett was scrubbing nooks and crannies in his bedroom that had gone untouched for months. He’d hoped to open his window and let in fresh air -- it was unseasonably warm for March, the winter having given its last hurrah already -- but his dad was not budging on the window locks and alarms. Rhett wondered how long it would take for them to trust him not to escape through the second-story window even when they were in the house and would likely hear him if he tried to leave.

But he stayed put in his room and cleaned. If he was cleaning, he could seek solitude, and he’d been doing it more and more just to stay away from his parents. He reached into the top corners of his closet and re-organized it. He washed and re-washed his bedding and rearranged furniture. He did anything he could to clean his room, solely so he could be alone in there in the quiet. And when he finished, he started over. It wasn’t like him, to be so insistent on cleaning. It was such a Link thing to do. But he needed the time alone, and he took it any way he could get it. His family still insisted on him spending most of his time in common areas, and it made absolutely no sense to him. It wasn’t like he could sneak Link in (or sneak out), with the alarm system. Rhett figured it was just a way to drive him crazy.

In the quiet, he fished the card out of his bottom drawer, reading and re-reading it. He’d read it so many times since Christmas, getting him through when he worried maybe Link would forget about him. The card was nearly falling apart along the middle crease, having been handled so often. They hadn’t seen each other face-to-face since the day they said goodbye in January. Link’s mom had stopped going to church, and Rhett assumed it was to spare herself the embarrassment of everyone talking. Rhett hadn’t been so lucky, each Sunday feeling the stares of people against the back of his head and hearing their whispers as he passed. Time had done nothing to fade the gossip.

He heard his father’s heavy footsteps on the stairs, suddenly realizing he was still holding the card. He stuffed it down beneath his clothing and shut the bottom drawer just in time. He got it out of sight only half a second before his dad poked his head into Rhett’s room.

“Rhett, your mother needs your help at the grocery store. Be ready in five minutes.”

His mother didn’t truly need help, Rhett knew. She’d gone grocery shopping thousands of times without him. It just meant that his father would be caught up in work and couldn’t sufficiently keep watch on him. This was one more way of making sure he wasn’t doing anything that might be interesting to him, but instead keeping him locked down completely. Rhett knew there was no fighting it, and he got himself ready to go, swapping basketball shorts for jeans.

He drew the line at talking, though, and any time his mother attempted to start a conversation on the car ride there, he just slunk down further into his seat and ignored her completely. He saw it as a way to punish them for not letting him see Link, or anyone else for that matter, and for keeping his life so packed that he barely had a chance to call his friend Ben, let alone see him. He wanted friendships and connections, but they seemed not to trust that he’d pick the right ones. He felt alone and adrift outside of the connection with Riley at school.

Inside the grocery store, Link was digging through his mother’s small accordion pouch for coupons to match the products she was adding to the cart. His head was down and his sole focus was on whether or not there was a coupon for the specific crackers his mother had placed in the cart. He found the coupon he was after, fishing it out and looking up to hand it to his mother. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an unreasonably tall form at the other end of the aisle.  _ Surely it couldn’t be. _

He looked over and his heart jumped.  _ Rhett _ . He stayed completely still, worried that if he moved, Rhett might disappear like a mirage in the desert. But Rhett smiled at him, and Link couldn’t help but smile, too. He looked so good. Link wanted so badly to push past the cart, run over, and hug him.

“Hey baby,” Rhett mouthed silently with a wink. Link blushed, and dipped his eyes for a second, then smiled and gave a small little wave.

“I love you,” Rhett mouthed again. So Rhett  _ did  _ still love him. He hadn’t forgotten the promise of forever in two months apart. Maybe the old saying was true. Absence did make the heart grow fonder.

“I love you, too,” Link silently replied.  _ Forever. _ They didn’t feel like strangers. It seemed like it just took seeing each other, a single exchanged look, and every emotion came flooding back between them. Link felt a warmth inside of him that he hadn’t felt since he last saw Rhett, a reason to keep pushing through. Rhett would be eighteen later that year, and Link hoped that would mean he could get far enough outside of his parents’ reign that they’d actually get to see each other again, to talk and spend time together.

Link’s mother pushed the cart forward, stepping away from Link as soon as she saw Rhett standing there, looping the aisle to give Link space. Link lingered in the aisle, hoping beyond hope that Rhett’s mother would do the same. Instead, as soon as she looked up and saw Link, she plucked her purse from her cart.

“Rhett, we’ll shop tomorrow. Come on, we need to leave. Now.”

_ What was happening? She wasn’t, was she? _ Link watched as Mrs. McLaughlin abandoned her cart mid-aisle, walking rapidly toward the door. Rhett’s eyes went wide, and Link felt panic bubbling up in his throat.  _ No, please no _ . It wasn’t long enough! They hadn’t gotten to talk at all. He hadn’t heard Rhett’s voice or felt the touch of his hand. Moments ago, a single look revived him, but now that Rhett was being dragged away all over again, it wasn’t enough. Rhett kept his eyes locked on Link, trying desperately to communicate as much as possible without being able to say a single word.

“Rhett, now.” His mother was insistent.

This felt like torture, seeing Link for fractions of a second before having him ripped away again.

“What about the groceries?” Rhett asked as he got into the car.

“We’ll go to another store tomorrow.” Rhett’s mother turned the key in the ignition. “I’d rather shop elsewhere from now on.” Rhett figured she’d drive to a store in the next down over if it meant she could make darn sure they didn’t run into Link Neal.  _ Reputation over love _ . Rhett gave a sarcastic snort. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

Link stood in the aisle, mouth wide as he stared, dumbfounded over what had just happened. When Rhett left his line of sight, he bolted down an aisle, running to find his mother, who had moved on with the shopping. His eyes were filled with tears.

“Can I… Can I have the keys? I’m sorry, I need to go to the car. You finish shopping, and I’ll--”

“Do you need me to come with you? Are you okay?” His mother interjected, fishing through her purse for her keys.

“No, but… finish the shopping. I’ll be outside.” Link plucked the keys from her hand and ran out of the store, not caring if someone looked at him strangely. He held it together, barely, until he reached the car. The moment he closed the door behind him, he dissolved into screams and shaking sobs.

* * *

 

 

**_April_ **

Rhett didn’t mind washing the dishes after dinner. As far as chores went, it was arguably better than a lot of other things he could have been responsible for. Besides, washing dishes reminded him of Phoenix, of a time and place that felt like  _ home  _ with Link. He was focused on scrubbing one of the dinner plates when his father walked into the kitchen.

“Rhett, please come into my office so we can talk.”

“I’m washing dishes, though… can’t we talk here?” Rhett stayed put at the sink, picking at a piece of broccoli that had stuck to the plate. He never understood why his father insisted on having all of their more serious talks in his office. It felt stiff and uncomfortable, not like a family discussion, but like a student getting punished by their teacher. Rhett knew that was probably the feeling his father was going for, but it was so unsettling.

“No, I’d like to see you now. Your mother can finish the dishes.” Rhett felt bad that his mom would be finishing his chores, but when she seamlessly stepped in toward the sink, like she’d been waiting in the wings for his father to mention it, he realized this was a coordinated attack, one they’d discussed and were both on board with. He followed his father into the home office and closed the door behind him.

“I called your teachers today. You’re doing very well with your grades. It seems like we may be able to make things work out so you aren’t delayed in school after your little... indiscretion last fall. All of your credits from Harnett transferred, so you’re on track for graduation. It’s time we start talking about your future more seriously.”

Rhett waited for his father to finish speaking, knowing better than to interrupt him in this setting. But the words stung like he’d been slapped.  _ Little indiscretion? _

“By more seriously, you mean… differently than all of the other serious discussions we’ve had about it?” Rhett sighed, trying with little success to keep the edge of sarcasm out of his voice.

“I mean this time you’re not running away after we discuss this. My decisions will be final, and you will be doing what I ask instead of taking off on some half-planned scheme.” While they’d had a few other serious talks in his father’s office since last November, this was the first where they’d spoken seriously about Rhett’s future, rather than about fixing what his father saw as his past mistakes.

“Obviously I’m not freakin’ running away after. You’re driving me to school, you’re barely letting me leave the house. You’ve got me locked up like a caged animal! So yeah,  _ obviously _ I’m not running away,” Rhett snapped, unable to hide the frustration and anger in his voice.

“You’ll watch your tone with me, Rhett. I’ve worked very hard to make sure that, despite you missing a month of school, you’ll still be graduating with your peers. You should be thanking me.”

“ _ Thanking  _ you? I’ll be graduating on time, but not with my friends. You’ve made sure of that!” He fumed, angry at the fact that so many of his own plans had been stripped away from his life. He knew that running away hadn’t been the best way to handle their previous discussion, but he didn’t regret it. This, though, was pushing him past his limit.

“You’ve shown me that you aren’t mature enough to make your own decisions, so I’ve worked with your teachers and administrators to put together your class schedule for next year. You’ll be doubling up on some classes, and I’ve got you into every AP course you qualify for. When you start looking at colleges, it’ll help cover some of the damage done by being out of school for so long. I’ve spoken to the basketball coach, as well. You’ll be playing next year. You’re lucky he’s letting you on the team after the way you blew your shot at Harnett.”

Rhett had no say. His father had the rest of his year planned out for him, every detail meticulously considered. While everyone else at school would be choosing electives for next year, he’d be sitting in whatever classes his father had chosen for him, and given the standards his father set, he’d be getting A’s or getting punished.

“So, basically, it’s my future but not  _ my  _ future, then? At what point do I get to make my own decisions? Are you going to pick my college and major, too?” Rhett instantly regretted the words, worried he might have just planted an idea in his father’s head, or worse, that he’d find out his father was two steps ahead of him again..

“If we’re lucky, I’ll be able to swing you into NC State. I’ve been talking to the coach there, but a lot was hinging on me getting you on the team in the first place for your senior year. As soon as we can secure you a scholarship, I’m sure you’ll be signing your letter of intent. There are a few majors at the school that would be suitable choices for you. We can make a decision as things get further nailed down with scholarships.” Rhett searched for any sign his father might be joking, exaggerating, or otherwise trying to make light of things. There was none.

“Wow, so you  _ are  _ picking every detail for me. Well, I’m glad you have it all planned out. Takes a real load off of my shoulders.” Rhett’s words were thick with sarcasm, and he rolled his eyes. He had no intention of sticking around to hear the rest, walking out of the room and closing the door hard behind him as he walked away. He didn’t respond to his father calling after him, and eventually he assumed his father gave up, because he didn’t follow Rhett out of the room or up the stairs. Rhett stormed to his room and locked the door behind him, ignoring the rules his family had set. He didn’t care. He pulled out the camera and sank to the floor inside of his closet to share the next part of his story.  _ Is it even my story anymore? _

* * *

 

 

**_May_ **

Link sat in homeroom. Only a couple more weeks and he’d finally be out of school, free for the summer. He’d considered a summer job with his uncle in the tobacco fields, thinking he could earn some money and kill some time. It would help shift his focus off of missing Rhett and onto hard work. He didn’t want to stop thinking about Rhett, but he knew he needed to think about more than  _ just  _ him. His uncle didn’t need an answer right away, though, so he toyed with the possibility of taking the summer off. The thought of spending it sleeping, eating, and going fishing at the river appealed to him. He drew two stick figures in the margin of his page, side-by-side on a river bank fishing.

The intercom crackled, the sudden sound in the silence causing almost everyone in the room to startle.

“Can you send Link Neal to the guidance counselor?” The teacher responded to the crackled voice on the intercom, and Link gathered his books into his bag. He walked through empty hallways, wondering why he’d need to see the counselor. A scheduling error, maybe? He’d already selected his classes for the fall semester, and his grades were good, a clean sweep of straight A’s. He knocked on the guidance counselor’s door and was immediately ushered in.

“Link, have a seat.” Ms. Thomas gestured toward the chair in front of her. She was a pleasant woman with a kind, soft smile. Though she seemed as kind as always, Link felt a pit growing in his stomach, and he sat as she requested. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he stayed quiet and waited for her to speak. She lifted the paper in front of her.

“I’ve been looking over your school records, and it looks like there may be a small problem.”

Link crinkled his eyebrows together. He’d been able to make up the final exams he’d missed while he was gone, and he made up a lot of the work to pass most of his classes last semester. His grades had always been strong before he’d left town, and his grades this semester didn’t lie, either.

“A problem?”

“It looks like you are just shy of having enough credits to graduate on time. Even with your planned fall schedule and a full load next spring, you’d still be missing two.” She looked at him with sympathy, and he realized she may be one of the few people in town who didn’t know _why_ he’d been gone, just that he had missed school.

“So… you’re saying I won’t be graduating on time? Is there anything I can do to fix it, so I can graduate when I’m supposed to?” If Link didn’t graduate on time, he’d be back a year, or at least a semester, from where he should be. He knew that he had to accept the consequences of the decision he’d made with Rhett to leave, but he was frustrated at how it had snowballed. They’d been home for five months, but life still seemed like an uphill battle, the fallout raining down on them.

“Actually,” she flipped a page on her desk and skimmed it, “it looks like you can take the courses as condensed summer classes. You’d come in for the morning, Monday through Friday, and work at a fast pace over the summer. There would be homework, but you should still be able to maintain a summer job if you need or want to. It’ll be a time commitment, but I think you can do it.”

Link nodded, trying to process. She passed two papers across the table. One of them explained the summer program and the other required his mother’s signature for him to participate in it. Link knew as soon as she realized it was summer school or the idea of Link not graduating on time, she’d sign willingly.

“I’ll talk to my mom, thanks. I’m pretty sure she’ll be okay with it.”

“Unfortunately, we discovered this pretty late. I’ll need to know by tomorrow.”

Link gave her a sympathetic look. It wasn’t her fault he’d missed the classes. He thanked her and slipped out of the office into the hallways that were now teeming with students.  _ So much for a summer job _ . Even though she’d said that he could keep one, and in this town a lot of teens relied on that income for their family, he knew that the balance would be a lot to juggle, and he still hadn’t told his uncle yes anyway.  _ At least I’ll still have a distraction. _

* * *

 

 

**_June_ **

Rhett jumped up onto a large box, then jumped down. He took a few steps to his left and jumped on a slightly taller box, then back down. He repeated this with the third, tallest box, then went back to the beginning and started over. His father had constructed the boxes for him to practice jumping, getting himself higher in the air than his already ridiculously long frame could typically get.

Mr. McLaughlin had a checklist of basketball drills and conditioning exercises for him to complete daily, and he’d been very clear about Rhett doing them methodically to get in top form by winter. There was no getting out of it, so Rhett figured he may as well do what he could while he had the free time.

He was working at his dad’s office at Campbell University a few days a week, filing papers and making copies, but he spent all of his days off on the drills his father had prepared for him. Sometimes, his mom would let him invite Ben over, one of the few friends he was still allowed to see from Buies Creek, and as long as they stayed within her sight and talked about things like sports and college, she didn’t mind. She even let Rhett go to Ben’s house a few times.

But today, Rhett had no plans with Ben, so he was outside, sweating his butt off in the North Carolina heat.

“Rhett, can you come here?” His mother hollered out from the screen door. Rhett grabbed his basketball and tucked it under one arm as he walked toward the front porch. She passed a towel out to him and he wiped the sweat from his face as he entered the cool, air conditioned house. The screen door clacked closed behind him.

“What’s up, mom?” He leaned one arm on the counter, and she shook her head disapprovingly at the sweat that dripped down his upper arm onto the counter.

“Get your sweaty body off of my counter, darlin’.” Rhett pushed himself back and stood up straight instead. “I forgot a few things I need for dinner. Can you pick them up? I really need to get some other things done around here, and your father is going to be home late.”

For a second, Rhett was taken aback at the fact that his mother was actually letting him go somewhere without supervision. Was she being serious? She was actually allowing this? She passed him a list and he studied it as she slid a couple of crisp bills across the counter.

“Okay, no problem. I’ll go change and then head out.” He didn’t want to take time to shower out of fear she’d change her mind. He worried that she might even think better of it by the time he got done changing, but he wasn’t about to go shopping in his sweaty clothes.

He raced upstairs, swapping his shirt and swiping deodorant under his arms. He did the bare minimum he could to make himself presentable and get most of the sweat off, then headed back downstairs to grab the keys.

“Straight there, straight back, no other stops.” She made the rules clear, but she didn’t have to warn him. They both knew it was a small town, and the second he walked out the door, she would surely call her friends to make sure that if they saw the car go anywhere but the grocery store, she’d hear about it.

“Yes, ma’am.” He turned away from her, then rolled his eyes. He couldn’t help but smile, though. He hadn’t touched the car without supervision in months. This was his first time driving it solo since he and Link had been in LA. The few times he’d been behind the wheel since then, he was under the watchful eyes of his parents.

When he arrived at the store, he wandered the aisles slowly. He knew that his mother wanted to get started on dinner, but he felt the rush of the first outing he’d gotten alone in six months. He needed the time, and he figured she wouldn’t mind as long as he didn’t take  _ too  _ long. He added a few items to the cart that weren’t on the list, his favorite snacks. She might scold him, but he couldn’t resist.

In the third aisle, he thought he heard a whisper. He turned, and saw nothing.

“Pssst. Rhett.” This time, the whisper was clear. He whipped around and saw Link standing at the end of the aisle.

“What are you doing here?” Rhett whispered back. His voice was louder than he’d meant for it to be. He was overexcited, and he slapped a hand over his mouth. Link did the same thing in unison, aiming for silence, and Link stifled a laugh at their mirrored movement. They were in Buies Creek, and all it took was one person seeing them together to tell their parents. For Link, it wasn’t as big of a deal, since his mother generally supported him, even if she didn’t understand their relationship. But Rhett would be in huge trouble if anyone found out, so they both ducked their heads and blushed, peering around to make sure no one heard.

“My mom needed some stuff for dinner,” Link whispered, quietly this time.

“Yeah, mine, too. She actually let me drive alone.” Rhett placed items in his cart, pretending his hardest to be a normal shopper. He figured if he kept shopping, no one would notice the exchange happening in the aisle of the mostly-empty store.

Rhett felt a sudden pang in his heart as it hit him that they were filling two separate carts for two separate households. For thirty seconds, he’d almost managed to forget, his mind going back to their world of two, the rest of the world melting away. He remembered how they’d shared a cart and shared a life in Phoenix and LA, and it was crushing to see how just six months could change so much.

As Rhett passed Link in the aisle, he reached his hand out. Link did, too, and they held hands for just a second, giving a quick squeeze before releasing and continuing their path towards opposite ends of the aisle. As each wrapped their cart around to the next aisle, they repeated the dance, whispering, clasping hands for a moment, and moving on.

“How are you?” Rhett whispered.

“I’m okay. I miss you. You’re working for your dad this summer?” Link tried to stay as quiet as he could. Rhett arched his eyebrows up with surprise at the detail Link knew, so Link clarified. “I was over at Ben’s house and he filled me in.”

“Oh! Yeah, it’s an easy way for my dad to keep an eye on me, I guess.” Just like that, they were passing each other again and moving to the next aisle. It wasn’t empty, an older woman placing a box of cereal into her cart. They didn’t risk it, and both silently opted not to even look at each other. The last thing they needed was for Rhett’s parents to somehow find out they’d seen each other, so they became hyper-focused on the shelves. Link picked up and studied a box of oatmeal, then placed it back on the shelf after Rhett passed him.

In the last aisle, Rhett realized they were running out of store and out of time. He jerked his head toward the bathroom, a soundless suggestion they seek a minute or two alone to talk without having to worry about someone in the aisle. Link grinned widely and abandoned his cart by pushing it to the side of the aisle and headed straight toward the bathroom. He glanced back at Rhett.

Rhett looped his cart around to a different aisle. If they both abandoned their carts in the same place, people might find it suspicious, so he intentionally put his cart elsewhere before heading to the bathroom a couple of minutes after Link entered.

Inside the bathroom, he noticed Link’s shoes in the stall on the end, the largest one, away from the door. Rhett slipped in through the unlocked stall door, and Link reached around him to lock it. He wrapped his arms tightly around Rhett and buried his face into the curve of Rhett’s neck, then inhaled deeply. He stepped back and crinkled his nose.

“I thought I missed how you smelled, but darn it, you smell really sweaty!”

Rhett chuckled. “I was doing basketball drills and didn’t have time to shower.” He sounded apologetic, and Link pulled him back in.

“Don’t care. I miss you even if you do stink.” Rhett held Link close. They only had a moment or two, but instead of using it to catch up, they used it to cling tightly to one another, to remember how the other felt and the way their hearts beat when they were this close. Rhett ran his fingers through Link’s hair. Link had clearly been growing it out a little bit since he’d last seen him.

“Can I kiss you?” Rhett asked quietly.

“When the heck have you ever had to ask?” Link lifted on his toes and kissed Rhett, his hand reaching around the back of Rhett’s head to draw him down as he settled back down on his heels. They took their time, but when they broke the kiss, they knew they were in dangerous territory now.

“I wish I didn’t have to go,” Rhett frowned as his heart sank at the anticipated loss.

“I know. Me, too. You still know that I love you, though, right?” Link worried Rhett had forgotten, but Rhett would never forget the promise they shared to be together forever. He reached out and ran his fingertips along Link’s ring.

“I love you, too. Forever, remember?”

“Yeah, forever.” Link kissed Rhett one more time, a soft peck on the corner of his lips. Rhett backed out of the stall, walked back to his cart, and Link lingered for a minute so they wouldn’t be caught coming out of the bathroom together.

He and Rhett selected separate checkout lines, and Rhett tried hard not to steal even a glance back at Link. He feared if he did, someone might see it. Or, much worse, he might break down right there in the store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to rhinkipoo and shewasjustagirl/clemwasjustagirl for their beta reading, editing, and love. Trust me, you would not want to read this without their help.


	25. Chapter 25

_ July _

 

Link yawned and stretched. He had already put in two summers’ worth of time helping around the house, juggling his summer classes with his homework, and putting in as many hours as possible helping his uncle in the tobacco fields. He’d decided to accept the job, at least part-time, because it helped him save up some money and kept him distracted. He didn’t mind the work, but the days were long and hot and he was exhausted at the end of every one. His limbs felt heavy from the labor.

Tobacco work was different than the work he’d experienced on their journey the fall prior. It broke him down, made him feel completely weak at the end of difficult days. His skin had grown tan from the long hours spent outdoors. But the work was mostly mindless, just what he needed after all the studying he was having to do after school as he tried to get all the work done for his fast-paced classes.

Today, though, he had arrived at work just in time for his uncle to tell him to go home and take the afternoon off. They’d finished what they needed to for the day while Link had been at school, so he drove over to Ben’s house instead. Ben’s mom was polite enough, letting them hang out when so many other parents had banned Link from their homes, but that didn’t mean she was accepting. She usually made Link and Ben stay in the living room while she watched from the kitchen, pretending to be focused on housework instead.

It seemed silly. They were in high school, but they were watched like toddlers on a play date, children that parents needed to make sure played nicely. Somehow, though, this was the new normal. A watchful parent was the only alternative to no contact at all, and Link accepted that. He was happy just to have a friend, after all, and he knew Ben would always be okay with him coming over to hang out.

As they sat in the living room and watched some dumb sci-fi movie Link wasn’t interested in, the phone rang and Ben’s mom went to answer. Link knew they had only a few minutes alone, so he took the opportunity to ask about Rhett. He did this any time Ben’s mom left them alone, asking what Rhett was up to. Rhett was doing the same whenever he’d call or come over to Ben’s house. It felt like an elaborate game of telephone.

Link had the passing feeling of being sorry for putting Ben in the middle, but it only lasted a moment before fading to make room for Link’s sole focus -- any information he could get on Rhett at all. Link knew that Rhett had made a friend at school named Riley, and he felt a pang of jealousy, like he was being replaced. Because of Ben, Link learned that Rhett was working at his dad’s office and that Rhett’s dad was trying to plan Rhett’s life again. If things went according to Mr. McLaughlin’s plan, Rhett would end up at NC State playing basketball and working toward an engineering degree. 

“I know you miss him, but can’t you just call him and leave me out of the whole thing?” Ben knew the answer before asking the question. He’d asked this same question every time the back-and-forth happened. But he felt a need to keep asking out of frustration.

“His parents hang up every time I try to.” He had tried, in fairness. Link called about once a month, aiming the calls for any time he thought Rhett’s parents might not be home. He figured at some point he’d have to get through, but somehow he always failed. He thanked his lucky stars for the few minutes he’d gotten with Rhett at the grocery store, but he missed hearing his voice and figured this was the closest he could get to hearing from Rhett at all.

“I mean, I guess I get it. I just wish there was a way you could talk to each other, because I’m startin’ to feel like you’re both only hanging out with me to talk to each other. If that’s what you’re doing, don’t bother pretending to be my friend. Just be honest with me, man.” Ben sounded hurt and he turned back toward the tv set. Link instantly felt horrible for putting him in the middle of things, and this time, the feeling didn’t flash away.

“It’s not like that. It’s not. I’m so sorry.” Link felt like he was going to cry. “I really do want to spend time with you. I’m glad we’re still friends, not just ‘cause I don’t have any other friends anymore, but because you’ve always been a good friend. I just miss him is all… sorry… can you just forget I even asked?”

Link had gotten all of the information he really needed to know, and the conversation had to end then anyway. They heard Ben’s mom hang up the phone and walk back toward the living room. Both of them were now suddenly engrossed in the movie in a companionable silence.   
  


 

_ August _

 

“Hey, man. Have a good summer?” Riley was back to poking his head around Rhett’s locker door, falling back into the routine they’d established the previous school year. They’d spent some time together, Riley coming to hang out at Rhett’s house once or twice, but for the most part, they hadn’t interacted much. Rhett lived so far away from the school that it was an effort to be more than seasonal friends.

“Yeah, I mean, it was mostly just busy.” Rhett thought back over his summer. It was a blur of basketball drills, a little bit of time spent hanging out with Ben and a couple of Buies Creek friends he could still see, but his focus locked onto the few minutes he got with Link. It was the best five minutes of his entire summer. “But good, I guess. How was yours?”

“Oh, you know. Good. I spent it doing the usual. Girls… trip to Washington with my parents… more girls,” Riley said with a wink. This was nothing new. Rhett listened far more patiently than he had hoped to, figuring that if he asked for enough details about the hot girls Riley had been around, maybe he wouldn’t have to answer any questions himself. “What about you, Rhett? Meet any cuties this summer?”

Rhett smirked, then shook his head.

“Nah, I stayed too busy.”

“Too busy for girls? Damn, Rhett, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were gay or somethin’.” Riley rolled his eyes, but Rhett stopped in his tracks and his face turned bright red. He swallowed hard, trying to recover and make it seem like he hadn’t just given himself away. “Oh crap, you are? Oh. Wow. I’m sorry.” Riley tripped over his words, unsure of what to say.

If Riley’s eyes had gotten any wider, they might have popped out of his head. Rhett didn’t answer, just turned and walked in the opposite direction toward the bathroom. He didn’t care if they had class in a minute. Even if Riley was apologetic for accidentally outing him, Rhett just couldn’t be there right now. Rhett ducked into the bathroom and splashed water on his face, trying to slow his breathing, then stayed there, waiting until the bell rang before walking to class. He prayed Riley wouldn’t say anything before he arrived.

“Late already, Mr. McLaughlin? First class on the first day of school… I hope this isn’t a habit.” His teacher looked at him disapprovingly as he filled out a tardy slip.

“Sorry. I wasn’t feeling well.” Rhett looked at his feet.

“Do you need to go to the infirmary?” The teacher wasn’t buying it, pushing the issue with disdain in his voice.

“No, I think I’ll be okay. Thanks.” Rhett sat down. He’d managed to sneak through most of previous semester without anyone knowing his secret, but before the first day had even begun, he’d already blown it. Why couldn’t he have made up some lie about seeing some girls over the summer? Was it really that difficult? He mentally kicked himself, slumping in his desk and refusing to make eye contact with anyone, especially Riley.

  
  


_ September _

 

“Hey! You!”

Link was walking out of the school building, backpack slung over one shoulder. He was excited not to have too much homework. He hoped to relax and take a nap after school. His mind was focused on the idea of just zoning out, and he was excited for those few moments alone. He didn’t even register the hurried footsteps or the voice yelling after him.

“Link? Link!”

The sound of his name finally snapped him to attention, and he turned toward the source of the sound. A kid rushed toward him, then rested his hands on his knees and panted.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you. What’s up?” Link gave the kid a moment to catch his breath. He’d never seen this kid before, and given his size, he must have been a freshman.

“I… uh. Well, I was wondering somethin’ and I wanted to ask you about it?” The kid looked pretty skittish. Link thought if he moved suddenly, the kid might bolt.

“Well, go on with it, then.” Link shifted his backpack to his other shoulder.

“Is it true? Are you… are you gay?” He shifted back and forth on his feet, anxiously awaiting Link’s answer.

“Seriously? That’s why you ran after me? To ask about some stupid rumor?” Link turned his back and started to walk away in a huff.

“No, it’s… it isn’t like that!” The boy reached out and touched Link’s shoulder. Link flinched. Ever since the fight on the boardwalk, and the way he’d snapped when rumors flew last year, he’d avoided touches like that. “I think I might be gay.” The kid spit the words out fast, trying to get them out so Link would stop for a second, let him finish.

It had the intended effect. Link froze and turned back toward him.

“I haven’t told anybody. I wanted to talk to somebody, and I don’t think I can tell anybody. But I heard that you were gay and I thought maybe you’d understand if I talked to you.” The kid switched between rushed speech, like he wanted to get it all out before he changed his mind, and slow pauses, like he couldn’t quite choke the words out.

“Oh. Oh gosh. Um. I’m not sure that I’m the right person to, like… talk to about this? But I guess we can talk about it if you want to? I… uh…” Link didn’t know what to say. Nobody had ever come out to him before. He hadn’t really known anyone else who liked guys, other than Rhett, and even then he only knew that he and Rhett had liked each other. He hadn’t taken time to consider a label, and he didn’t know if Rhett had, either. There was no big moment that Rhett came out to him, so he didn’t really know how to respond. “I mean… I don’t know if I’m like… you know? I just kind of… I mean… it’s complicated.”

“Oh.” The kid slumped his shoulders. “Just forget about it, then. Nevermind.”

“No, it’s… do you have somewhere you need to be?” Link asked.

“Not really. I usually walk home, and my parents don’t get home for awhile.”

Link smiled, unsure of what else to do.

“Alright, then. Let’s talk about things. I’ll tell you my story, and you can tell me yours. Come on.” The boy followed Link, trying to keep step with his long strides. “You think your parents are okay with you coming over to my house? It’s nothing weird, I just think we need someplace quiet to talk.”

“Yeah, they’d be okay with it, I’m sure. I’m Jacob, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Jacob.” Link extended a hand and Jacob shook it. “So who told you to talk to me?”

“Nobody. Everybody. I don’t know, people were talkin’ and I kept hearing stuff, and then I figured out who you were. Nobody really told me specifically.” The two of them chatted about a lot of things as they walked, but not about what Jacob had wanted to discuss until they got to Link’s house.

When they got inside, Link let the door swing shut behind them and grabbed two sodas from the fridge, passing one to Jacob.

“So listen. I get why you came to talk to me, and I get that you’re in kind of a similar situation, but you need to know that if you’re hangin’ out with me in public, or at school, people are going to say stuff.”

Jacob nodded, then took a sip of his soda as Link pulled the tab on his, the can making its familiar  _ hiss _ .

“I just want to make sure to warn you. If you want to keep things quiet or not tell anybody yet, hanging out with me isn’t the way to do that.” Link needed Jacob to understand what he was getting himself into. “Oh, and I have a boyfriend. So like, I’m not trying to assume, but don’t get any ideas.” Even though Link hadn’t seen Rhett since July, he was pretty sure they were still on the same page about forever. 

Jacob almost choked on his soda at that.

“I, oh… I wasn’t, like, looking to try nothin’. I just wanted to talk to somebody.”

Link blushed, feeling bad for assuming that Jacob was after him in that way. People talked, rumors still flew. He knew that hanging out with some freshman kid wasn’t going to help his reputation at all. But he was getting out of Buies Creek in a year. Jacob wasn’t going to be so lucky, so the warning stood.

“I know people might talk,” Jacob said. “It’s a small town. But I really need a friend right now, someone who might understand where I’m coming from. I’m willing to risk it if you are.”

“Yeah, okay, kid.” Link nodded and they settled in the living room as Link flicked on the Nintendo. “You play?” He passed Jacob a controller.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love and thanks to @rhinkipoo and @clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for their help reading and editing this chapter!


	26. Chapter 26

_ October _

 

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Rhett tugged the mask down over his face.

“Of course it’s going to work. Why wouldn’t it?” Ben rolled his eyes, patting thick white makeup onto his forehead to complete his creepy clown getup. They’d been planning this for two weeks. They’d gone over the plan again and again, gotten Riley to come over to Ben’s house so they could work it out. Everything was in order. Rhett had even snuck the camera over, filming the plan to add to the documentary. But he couldn’t help but worry that it might not go as easily as they’d planned. 

“Because I’m a good seven inches taller than he is, that’s why!” Rhett wondered how well they’d been able to fix the height difference issue, but he trusted Ben and he trusted Riley. He was really happy he’d introduced them to each other, because they were quickly becoming good friends.

“He’s got those wooden blocks, remember? It’ll be fine,” Ben reminded him. Rhett thought it might fail miserably, but he wanted to try anyway. They’d cut blocks to size so Riley could tape them to his shoes, bring him up to Rhett’s height, and the long cut of the costume was enough to cover any sign of the wood.

“I don’t know why you guys are willing to risk so much to help us out, but thank you.” Rhett sincerely meant it. He had a nagging fear that Riley might roll an ankle on the blocks, but Riley said he was willing to risk it if it meant the plan would work out. Rhett had no idea how he’d gotten lucky enough to have such supportive friends.

“Honestly, I think we’re both just sick of the two of you whining. Riley’s sick of listening to you mope, and I’m sick of Link worrying that you’re dating Riley or whatever. I keep telling him that Riley has way too many girlfriends for him to worry, and that you never shut up about him, but you know how it is.” Ben rolled his eyes and pulled his wig into place. “You ready?”

“Yeah, ready when you are.” The two of them walked to Ben’s car, and Rhett climbed into the passenger seat.

Ben drove toward the middle of town, stopping a block away from the party. Rhett’s parents had allowed him to go after finding out that Link wasn’t invited. They knew that he’d be with Ben and Riley, so as long as Rhett didn’t drink and had a safe night, they were giving him the go-ahead. It was the first real night of fun he’d been allowed, and he thanked them profusely. It didn’t take long after getting the okay from his parents for Riley to suggest the plan. Ben pulled to the side of the road and put the car in park.

The street was lined with cars leading up to the party, and both boys stayed in the car for a minute until they heard a knock on Rhett’s window. He peered out to see an exact copy of his costume and opened the door. Riley lifted the mask a tiny bit and smiled.

“Are we ready for this?” Riley asked. Rhett stood next to him and Ben sized them both up.

“Pretty good, man. You got the height spot-on.” Ben nodded and Rhett beamed behind his mask.

“Thanks for doing this, guys. Seriously.”

“It’s the least we could do. I couldn’t take you whining for another second!” Riley laughed, and Ben acknowledged that he’d said the same thing less than an hour before. “Happy late birthday. See you in three hours?”

Rhett encouraged them to have fun, then walked in the opposite direction of the party. His destination was about five blocks away from the house where the party was being held, and the quicker he got there, the more time he’d have.

When he approached the house, the lights were off. For a moment, he worried it was all for nothing, that Link wouldn't actually be home. He walked up to the door and knocked. The door opened just a crack, so he couldn’t see inside.

“Sorry, I’m all out of candy.”

“Trick or treat,” Rhett said, his smile reflected in his voice. His mask still covered his face, but the way the door swung open wide made it clear his voice was recognized.

“Rhett!” Link grabbed his costume and tugged him in. “What are you doing here? How did you…?”

“It was all Riley and Ben, man. Ben convinced my parents to let me go to Marcus’s party, and Riley matched my costume. He went as me, well, my costume, but he had these wooden blocks to make him my height and everything! Nobody’s going to know I’m not there, which means I can be here.”

Rhett started to shed his costume in the doorway, too hot and restricting over his clothes. Link wrapped his arms around Rhett and held him close. Rhett buried his nose in Link’s hair. They’d barely made it a few steps inside of the house.

“Your mom at work or something?” Rhett didn’t see any sign of her.

“Yeah.” Link released Rhett long enough to walk toward the couch, and Rhett followed. They curled up and sat quietly for a few minutes, holding each other. They both had so much to catch up on, so many things they both wanted to know and say, but Rhett loved the way they could still sit close together and just breathe for a few seconds.

“How long can you be here?” Link didn’t want to waste any time, wanted to make the most of every moment they had right now.

“Just a couple of hours.” He sighed. Link leaned onto him, easing Rhett back to lay on the couch.

“Guess we’ll enjoy the time we have.” Link curled himself into Rhett’s arms and traced his fingers along Rhett’s forearm. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I guess about everything we’ve missed since we last saw each other. But first I don’t want to talk. First I want to do this.” Rhett tilted his head toward Link to plant a kiss on Link’s forehead. Link wriggled up closer to Rhett and, finally, melted into an actual kiss. It had been so long -- since June -- that they’d been able to kiss, to feel each other. But it had been far longer, since they were gone, that they could get this close into each other’s space.

“So Riley helped you come here?” Link’s voice was full of hesitation, and Rhett thought he detected a twinge of jealousy.

“Yeah, he did. He said he and his girlfriend were sick of hearing me whine about you.” Rhett put the emphasis on the word  _ girlfriend _ , making it clear to Link, as clear as he could, that Riley wasn’t a threat.

“You whine about me?” Link smiled and blushed. “I whine about you to Ben a lot. And my friend Jacob.”

Rhett smiled and gave Link a squeeze. He asked Link about Jacob, and Link told him everything, about how Jacob had sought him out as a mentor and how Link had taken him under his wing.

In turn, Rhett told Link more about Riley, how he’d been so afraid when Riley had figured out Rhett’s secret, the reason he was in school there. But he kept the secret, and it was Rhett himself who had let Riley’s current girlfriend in on things when they’d been hanging out. She didn’t go to the all-boys school with them, obviously, so Rhett figured it was safe. Riley hadn’t told anyone else, and Rhett was able to stay mostly in the closet at his new school. With the snobbery of the kids there, he worried what might happen if he came out. The last thing he wanted was to have to change schools again, especially in his senior year.

Link had an idea and sat straight up. He looked at the time they had left, about an hour and a half. It seemed like time was moving too quickly, but he thought they might have just enough time for something special.

“Come with me.” Link moved off of the couch and headed toward the kitchen quickly, flinging a cabinet door open so hard it bounced back toward him.

“Whoa, hey, I thought we were cuddling!” Rhett wrapped his arms around Link’s waist and rested his head on Link’s shoulder.

“Yeah, but I missed your birthday. For like, the first time since we met. And that’s just not acceptable, missing your boyfriend’s birthday.” Link pulled a cake mix out of the cabinet and skimmed the list on the back.

“Do we have time?” Rhett didn’t think they had time for a whole cake, but at the same time, he wanted to try if Link did. Link wasn’t much of a cook, but he was here to lead the way if he needed to.

“It looks like cupcakes only take… eighteen minutes!” Rhett snatched the box and preheated the oven while Link gathered oil and eggs. Rhett remembered just where bowls and measuring cups used to be kept, pulling them from the cabinets himself. They curled around one another, working and sneaking hand grazes. Rhett watched and smiled as Link mixed the batter, his whole body wiggling as his arm moved to fold the mixture together.

“Dang it! I should have brought the camera and filmed this.” He filled Link in quickly on how he’d been trying to film what he could, telling the camera more than a few times how much he missed Link. He’d shared how Riley took his accidental coming out and how Ben and Riley helped him with his plan to see Link tonight, all on camera. But he’d failed to bring it and capture what time they had. Rhett was frustrated at himself. It would have been a key moment in their film, and he’d want to savor these moments and watch them again and again when he and Link were separated again an hour from now. He tried to remember what he could, though, to describe in detail on the tape later. It would be less exciting than if the audience, or Rhett himself, could watch it unfold, but at least it was better than nothing.

Once the cupcakes were securely in the oven, Link hopped himself up on the counter. Rhett nudged himself between Link’s knees, wrapping his arms around him. It swapped their height difference, making Link a little bit taller, and Rhett took full advantage of the chance to nuzzle against Link’s neck.

“It pisses me off, though,” Rhett said out of nowhere.

“Wait, what does? Cupcakes?” Link wasn’t tracking with Rhett.

“No, my stupid dad and his stupid plans. Like, I’m eighteen now, and I still can’t see you, and I still can’t figure out my own future, and I still can’t do all the things we wanted to do.” He was annoyed, his body tensing up.

Link rubbed his hand up and down Rhett’s back.

“We’ll get through it, though, won’t we? Figure it out? I mean, it all sucks, but maybe once we get to college it’ll be easier.”

Rhett reminded Link of what Ben had told him, that his dad was planning for him to go to NC State in the fall on a basketball scholarship. Link hated it, but suggested that NC State was only a few hours away from UNC Asheville, and they’d be able to see each other more than they did now, at least.

“I wish you could come to one of my games.” Rhett sighed.

“I wish I could come to all of your games,” Link responded, remembering a time before they’d left when he wouldn’t have missed a game for the world. Their conversation dissolved into soft kisses for a few minutes, like they were trying to squeeze as many in as they could. Neither of them knew when they’d get time like this again. It could be a long wait, particularly if they didn’t get to see each other until they were both settled at their respective schools. That would be nearly a year from now.

After a few minutes, Link reached over and dug his hand into a bowl, pulling out a fun-sized candy bar. He unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth.

“Thought you said you were out of --”

“Nah, I just got sick of going to the door.” Link said with a laugh, then produced a sucker and offered it to Rhett. Rhett never turned down food, taking it and popping it in his mouth.

“Are we spoiling our appetite for cupcakes?” Rhett mused.

“They’ll have to cool. Besides, I’m hungry.” Link grabbed another bar and unwrapped it, discarding the wrapper on the counter beside him as the oven beeped. Link hopped off of the counter and passed Rhett an oven mitt. They only had forty-five minutes left, so they placed the cupcakes on the counter to cool.

Link walked back into the living room, with Rhett right behind him. Rhett grabbed his waist from behind, turning him, then knocked him over, grabbing him so he wouldn’t fall too hard onto the floor. He tugged at him, then pinned his wrists to the floor.

“What are you doing, man?” Link asked, still pinned. Rhett dipped down and gave him a kiss.

“Don’t you remember when we were younger, and we’d wrestle each other? Heck, we’d do it right here in this living room,” Rhett laughed.

Link got the idea now, and moved to nudge Rhett off of him, flipping them so Rhett was on the ground. He struggled to pin Rhett, but Rhett was fast, long, tricky. He ducked his head under Link’s arm and moved to flip them again, but a few moves later they both dissolved in a pile of laughter. Rhett reached over and brushed Link’s hair, getting ever-longer, away from his forehead.

“I still love you. I’m always gonna.” Rhett said the words with certainty.

“Forever?” Link asked, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyway.

“Forever.” 

They stayed like that for awhile before Rhett realized they didn’t have much time left. Link went into the kitchen and picked up an unfrosted, but now cool, cupcake.

“I didn’t know you were coming, so I don’t have any candles.” Link’s face fell, disappointed. “Maybe you can make a wish and just fake blow it out or something?”

“Nah, that’s silly. I already got what I wished for.” Rhett didn’t have to explain or expand on that. His only birthday wish had been to see Link, and he’d gotten it. For two blissful hours, he’d gotten everything he wanted for his birthday. After this, he’d have to face the world and the future his father built, but for the fleeting time they had, they reinforced the fact that forever still meant  _ forever _ . And that was all Rhett really wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Rhinkpoo and Clemwasjustagirl/Shewasjustagirl for beta reading and editing this chapter. And thank you to clem for co-parenting these babies with me.


	27. Chapter 27

_ November _

_ How the heck had so much changed in a year _ ? Somehow the past year had seemed like a lifetime. Last Thanksgiving, Link and Rhett had shared their first kiss sitting on a hotel bed. It was their first holiday together, and they’d been so close and safe together at the motel. They’d spent the holiday with Mama Cheryl and the tangle of friends she’d brought to the table.

He knew that spending time with his mother for Thanksgiving would be great, especially since she’d missed him last year. His grandparents were coming over for dinner, too, but he missed Mama Cheryl and he  _ really _ missed Rhett. He wished that the people he’d chosen to add to his family could be around the table with his actual family.

“Hey mom, can I go for a walk for a little bit if I hurry back to help with dinner?” Link leaned down to place a kiss on his mother’s cheek.

“Sure, if you’re not too long. Going anywhere special?”

“No, just want to take a walk. Last year we were gone for Thanksgiving, and I’m just remembering a lot of stuff. I want to clear my head.” Link was honest -- he wanted some time alone with his thoughts and memories before diving back into being with family on the holiday.

“If you want to talk about it, we can.” She seemed so sincere that Link considered taking her up on it for a moment, but he shook his head, hoping for the time alone. He wasn’t ready to tell her everything, but he knew someone he could talk to about it. He felt bad for confiding in someone else when his mother was offering so sincerely. It just wasn’t something he was ready to share with her.

“Maybe we can talk later? I think I really want to take a walk right now.” She accepted that answer from Link, and he ambled out the door. As he walked up the road, a handful of change jingled in his pocket, and he realized that if he couldn’t spend Thanksgiving with Mama Cheryl, at least he could call her.  _ If only I could call Rhett, too _ , he thought.

He pressed change into the first payphone he reached, dialing the number he had now memorized after calling about once a month. While most of his time after school was spent doing homework or hanging out with Jacob or Ben, he made time to call Mama Cheryl when he could. And anytime he called, she made the time to listen. If she was busy, she didn’t tell him she was.

“Mama Cheryl?” As soon as Link responded to her “Hello,” he was greeted with a warm bubble of happiness on the other end of the line. “Happy Thanksgiving!”

They caught each other up on everything happening in their respective places. Link shared how Rhett had surprised him on Halloween and how Ben and Riley had helped organize their plans. He asked if she’d heard from Rhett at all, since they’d been close in Phoenix, too. She told him she’d gotten one call, but it had been ages since she’d spoken to him. Link didn’t bother trying to pry for information from her the way he did Ben.

He wasn’t used to being on this end of the conversation, filling in details about how Rhett was doing.. He wondered aloud whether any of the information had changed since Rhett had given him details, but he filled her in on Rhett’s father’s plan to get him into NC State. Link was still set on UNC Asheville, and he told Mama Cheryl he was worried about how they’d make it living so far away from each other.

“You have to go to the place you need to go to. Didn’t you say you wanted to go to UNC Asheville? It’s in the same state. You two could still see each other.” Mama Cheryl was trying to comfort him, but the thought of being four hours apart for all of college just seemed so difficult to Link. “You go where you need to, and Rhett can go where he  _ has _ to. I’d imagine even being four hours apart will allow you to see each other more than you are now, won’t it? Just hang in there. If it’s meant to be, it’ll all be.” Mama Cheryl was reassuring, but he worried. What if it was meant to be, and they still couldn’t make it work? What if Rhett moved on without him, met someone new at school, because Link didn’t get there often enough to see him?.

Link agreed with Mama Cheryl, despite the doubts still in his head. He pressed a few more coins into the phone to extend the call, asking Mama Cheryl about how everyone was doing in Phoenix. She told him that Melody was expecting a baby, and Link was thrilled for her. He told Mama Cheryl how much he wished he were in Phoenix as she described the pies they’d be having for Thanksgiving.

“I just miss being there. You really did make us feel like we had a home. And I know we’re home now, but I’m still homesick for Phoenix, too. It’s hard to explain.” Link’s heart ached a little bit.

"I know that you two are in the right place, even though I miss having your help around here. Maybe someday you two can come and visit me when you finish college.” Mama Cheryl explained how happy she was that they were home so their parents would know they were safe, but that it made her sad they weren’t able to see each other more. 

“I’d like that.” Link loved the possibility. He wondered if, despite going to different colleges, he and Rhett could find a way to spend a summer or spring break in Phoenix together. He filed the idea away, hoping he’d remember to bring it up the next time they got to talk.

“Mama Cheryl? Before I hang up, can I tell you what I’m thankful for, like we did last year? It feels like tradition now.” 

“Of course. You know I’d love to hear it. I’m thankful that I got to know you and Rhett, and I’m thankful you’re both safe. What are you thankful for, Link?”

“I was just going to say that I was thankful for Rhett, and I was so thankful you accepted us and took care of us, and for everything you did to help us. I feel like I can’t ever say thank you enough for everything, and I wanted you to know that I’m thankful for it. I always will be.” Link imagined that if he and Rhett really were forever, if they ever did get married, Mama Cheryl would be the first to get an invitation. She’d done so much for them, and loved them so much, that he couldn’t imagine her not being a part of their lives forever.

“Oh, honey. You’re the sweetest.” Mama Cheryl sounded like she might be choking up at his words. “Thank you for saying that.” The mechanical voice interrupted to say their time was almost through, so they said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Link walked home to help his mother.

“Have a good walk?” She smiled and passed him a potato and a peeler.

“Yeah. I did. Hey, mom, can we try a new tradition before we eat this year?”

 

_ December _

Rhett raced up the court. He’d been on fire all evening, and they really had a shot at winning this game. He scanned the stands, locking eyes with his father, who looked back at him with pride and approval.  _ Well that’s a nice change _ , Rhett thought. He snapped back into the game, taking the shot. He scored.

Riley shifted close. He gave Rhett a high five, a small celebration, and Rhett basked in the roar of the crowd. But one voice, one cheer, one familiar face with bright blue eyes stood out in the stands among the blur of loyal supporters that cheered the team on every game.  _ It couldn’t be _ … but it was. Link was there, standing and cheering, celebrating his boyfriend’s basket. Rhett searched for the ball, then rubbed his eyes and looked back in the stands. He wasn’t imagining things.

This was an away game, a full hour and a half from Buies Creek, and Link had come all that way to cheer him on. Rhett beamed and tried to keep his focus on the game, but he couldn’t stop stealing glances at Link. At one point, he saw Link mouth “I love you.” He couldn’t respond, because it was at that moment that Riley passed the ball to him and he had to drive it up the court again. But he needed a plan, a minute with Link. He blocked with his elbow, pivoting around someone to make a basket just before the buzzer went off for the half.

Rhett hung back a few steps as the team headed toward the locker room. Riley lingered, too, leaning in close to Rhett to whisper.

“Did I see Link in the stands?”

“Yes! I wanted to talk to you about it.” Rhett couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face if he’d tried. They’d had a great first half, and the fact that Link had seen it meant everything.

“Hey, man, if you need me to run interference with your dad after the game so you can talk to your boyfriend, just say the word.” Riley made sure he said the words quietly enough, away from anyone who might overhear, but he couldn’t help but playfully jab at Rhett the same way Rhett had so many times over his endless string of girlfriends.

“I’m sayin’ the word.” Rhett and Riley ducked into the locker room to listen to their coach’s pep talk. He encouraged them not to get cocky about their solid lead and to keep pushing forward until the end of the game. Minutes later, they emerged from the locker room and Rhett was ready to go. He was gung-ho to finish the game strong, and then, with Riley’s help, get a couple of minutes with Link after the game.

Rhett looked into the stands again to seek out Link’s warm smile. Instead, he saw Link slumped over, with Rhett’s father seated next to him. Link nodded sadly, swiping his face with the back of his hand. He grabbed his backpack and stood up to walk out of the gymnasium. Rhett looked back at his father in time to see an angry grimace on his face. He barely recognized what was happening the rest of the game, unable to score a single point. Riley put in the extra effort to pick up the slack when Rhett mentally checked out of the game, though, allowing them to keep their lead. Rhett hardly registered the win, listlessly celebrating with his team after the game and waiting to go home and bury his head under the covers.

 

_ January _

Link was sulking again. Since Rhett’s dad had asked him to leave the game, he’d been in a constantly mopey mood. He’d gone to the game the month before to be supportive. He hadn’t assumed Rhett would even be able to speak to him, he simply hoped to fade into the crowd and watch Rhett play. He still got butterflies when Rhett would look at him, but apparently Rhett had spent too much of the game gazing in his direction, even though it never felt like enough, because as soon as halftime hit, Rhett’s dad had found him.

Mr. McLaughlin told Link that Rhett had a girlfriend and had moved on, that he didn’t need Link to distract him. Link knew it  _ probably _ wasn’t true, but he still wondered. The way that Rhett looked at him gave him hope, and he knew Rhett wanted to see him, but as time went on, Link started hearing Mr. McLaughlin’s voice in his head, louder and louder, drowning out things he knew to be true. Despite their promises of forever, and the way they’d been on Halloween, being apart so much of the past year was doing a number on Link, digging into his psyche and making him question things he never would have before. 

He hadn’t heard from Rhett since the game, obviously, but he slowly started to wonder if he was reading too much into Rhett’s looks. It made him sad, the way Rhett talked to Riley on the way off of the court. He’d been Rhett’s best friend, and he felt like maybe he was getting edged out. He didn’t worry that Rhett might fall in love with Riley, not in the slightest. Riley had only ever helped Link see Rhett, as far as he knew. Even though Link had never officially met Riley, he could tell he was a good person. But Link’s heart ached at all of the ways that Riley got to be with Rhett while Link sat in Buies Creek without him. He wondered about inside jokes they’d form or ideas they’d have, plans they’d make that Link wasn’t a part of.

“Honey, I think maybe you’re just struggling since you’ve been apart so long. It’s okay for people to grow apart. If it’s meant to be, you’ll get back together.” His mother sympathized, but she was running out of ways to reassure Link.

“I don’t think we’re supposed to get  _ back  _ together if we never broke up. We’re apart, not done with. At least, I thought we were. I don’t know what Rhett thinks.” Link threw his hands in the air in frustration.

“Just don’t close yourself off to other options. You’ve been apart a long time.” His mom didn’t know about Halloween, so she had no idea why Link’s feelings would stay so strong after all this time. To her, he’d last seen Rhett for a few seconds that day in the grocery store nearly a year ago.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Link snapped.

“It’s been almost a year, Link. You don’t know where he’s at. I’m just saying that you’re a handsome boy. You could get any girl you wanted.”

Link shot her a look.

“Or boy. Jacob seems nice, and he’s clearly interested.” His mother assumed the look meant she shouldn’t have said “any girl,” but Link was more upset that she’d given him the advice to move on.

“He’s a freshman. And he’s my friend. And he’s not Rhett.” Link shut the conversation down, his tone sharp, making it clear he was done talking about it. But when Jacob came over, he couldn’t help but try to see what his mother saw. He didn’t want to date Jacob. He just wanted to see if she was really all that crazy to suggest Jacob might be interested in Link.

As Jacob sat next to him playing Nintendo the next day, he noticed little things he hadn’t seen before. Jacob laughed harder at his jokes than made sense… they weren’t  _ that  _ funny. He’d brush his arm against Link’s and let it linger. It made Link feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t like Jacob wasn’t great. He was. He was a great  _ friend _ . But the ring that had never left Link’s finger made it clear -- he had a soulmate. If Rhett didn’t remember that, fine, but Link wasn’t giving up hope just yet.

Link smashed buttons furiously, but his focus was on what Jacob was doing, and on how he longed to be next to Rhett instead, and he wound up losing the game that he usually dominated. Jacob realized the time and stood to leave, so Link followed him to the door.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow, then?” Jacob was hesitant, shifting his weight back and forth. Then suddenly, he lifted up on his toes and kissed Link. For a second, Link froze, but then he broke the kiss.

“Jacob, I’m… I’m sorry. I can’t.” Link didn’t want to lose Jacob’s friendship, but it didn’t feel right to him to kiss Jacob back when his world was wrapped up in Rhett. He had a boyfriend, and Jacob knew that.

“Sorry,” Jacob muttered quietly. He walked with his head hanging low until he got to the end of the driveway. Link wanted to run out after him, explain that he still cared and wanted to be friends. He even wanted to encourage Jacob, let him know that he was a great guy who would find another great guy someday. Link wanted badly to say that if he didn’t already know Rhett was his soulmate, maybe he’d have given Jacob a chance. It wasn’t Jacob, it was Link’s commitment to Rhett. Link worried he’d lost one of the only friends he had who truly understood him, and he was afraid he’d broken Jacob’s heart in the process. But he couldn’t bring himself to go after Jacob, so he closed the door and leaned against it. He twisted the ring on his finger as a tear ran down his cheek.

 

_ February _

Rhett sat next to Riley at the table, his leg bouncing rapidly. He was beyond nervous. This wasn’t his plan or his dream. It was all his dad’s doing. He could feel the buzz of Riley’s excitement next to him, so he put on a fake happy smile to avoid killing the mood. He should feel lucky that NC State wanted him. They were willing to overlook his month out of school, willing to take him on despite him missing basketball season that year, too. He was grateful for the opportunity, but it wasn’t his dream. Riley elbowed him, hard.

“Dude, chill. You’re shaking the whole table, man! Are you excited or…?” He whispered to Rhett, eyes glancing up at the cameras present from the school paper, the local papers, and from NC State themselves.

“You know I’m not.” Rhett had filled Riley in more than once on why he didn’t want to do this. He figured he’d told him a thousand times between Halloween and now, how his plan had always been UNC Asheville, with Link, but his father had other ideas. NC State was the last place he wanted to go.

“Take a deep breath. Sign the paper. Smile. You can always transfer later or something, but don’t choke now, man. You have to look at the long term.” He gave Rhett an encouraging smile, and Rhett smiled back, the two of them leaned together to whisper. Cameras flashed in the pre-signing moments.

“I’m trying to.”

The signing itself was overly ceremonial. Considering they were just at a folding table with an NC State tablecloth in the middle of the school library, it felt like too much. But this was a big thing. They were committing to attend the college, give their all for the team, their bodies and their time and their love, for four full years.

Their parents were there, proud of them and taking pictures of their own. Rhett’s father had said beforehand that he wished he could take video, but that somehow their camera was missing. Rhett didn’t offer up the location of the camera. His father knew he took it or he wouldn’t have said anything, but Rhett thought he assumed they’d pawned it somewhere between Buies Creek and Los Angeles.

Rhett slapped his fake smile back on as the his coach talked about his strengths as a basketball player, and he signed the paper. He held it up, showing his signature as cameras flashed again. Riley did the same, and the two high-fived. Rhett’s father gave them a stern look, as the moment was intended to be professional, but Rhett didn’t care. If he was going to suffer through this, he and Riley were going to do it the way they wanted to.

The next day, Link sat at the lunch table with Jacob by his side. They ate in companionable silence, not feeling the need to fill the entire time with chatter, until one of the jocks came by and slapped a newspaper clipping on the table.

“Looks like your boyfriend has a new boyfriend. Then again, looks like you do, too.” He laughed and walked away, the clipping still on the table. Link picked it up and studied it, a picture of Rhett and Riley, leaned close together and smiling. Rhett had signed his letter of intent to play basketball for NC State, and Link’s heart sank. Rhett and Riley had this moment together, and it meant they’d signed their intent to spend the next four years making memories together. Link may have known there was nothing romantic between them, but it didn’t make the fact that he’d been replaced as Rhett’s best friend hurt any less.

 

_ March _

Link was piling his laundry into the washing machine when his mom walked around the corner.

“Hey, you’re getting a head start. Packing already?” She asked.

Link had zero desire to go. When Jacob had asked if Link wanted to go on a spring break trip with his family, he’d been eager to get away for a week and get his mind off of Rhett and Riley’s friendship, take time to form some new memories of his own with what could be his new best friend. His mom was quick to agree that he should go, and he figured she was still on the kick that he needed to move on from Rhett.

“I’m not going.” Link was matter-of-fact, and it caused his mother to look at him quizzically, like she hadn’t heard him quite right.

“Not going? Did they cancel the trip or something?”

“No. I just don’t want to go.” Link shrugged. He’d been thinking. Rhett and Riley’s friendship was sustainable. They were going to college together next year, they were on the same basketball team. Jacob was a freshman, one he’d be leaving behind in a few months as he moved four hours away to UNC Asheville. He liked their friendship, but it wasn’t the same as what Riley had with Rhett, or what he and Rhett had shared their whole lives.

Honestly, Link didn’t want to make things weird with Jacob. They’d both moved on from the time that he’d forced a kiss on Link, doing what they could to forgive, forget, and stay friends. But he didn’t want Jacob to get the wrong idea about things or make him think he was more interested than he really was. Plus, he hated that everyone thought he was dating Jacob. He didn’t mind personally, because in a few months, he’d be gone, but for Jacob, the guilt-by-association might hurt more than either of them realized. Jacob still wasn’t out to his parents, but the way they spent time together and the comments people made might yank him out of the closet faster than he was ready. Link knew how damaging that could be.

“Okay… any particular reason you’ve changed your mind?” Link didn’t want to share all of his reasons, but he had also considered the cost of going. He’d saved up money from his summer job, and his mom had chipped in some money, too.

“I think I want to use the money for something else, if that’s okay.” He and Rhett had worked on their documentary while they were gone, and on Halloween, Rhett had made it clear he was still filming and trying to tell the story he could even without Link there. Link knew he’d stay true to their vision, but he wanted to contribute, too. Plus, he couldn’t count on Rhett wanting to finish the documentary -- he was going to NC State now. But maybe Link could give it a solid ending, or start a new project.

“What were you thinking of using it for?” His mother leaned against the frame of the laundry room door while Link adjusted the settings on the machine.

“I want to buy a camera so I can make a movie. If I’m going to UNC Asheville for film, I’ll probably need one anyway. This way, I can practice.” He knew he’d likely use school equipment for film once he got there, but this made him feel like he was doing  _ something _ .

She furrowed her brow, like she was trying to decide if she could let him back out or if the new plan was okay. For a moment, Link thought she’d make him go, and he hoped that wasn’t going to come up. He’d already told Jacob he couldn’t go, that a family thing came up. Link was apologetic for cancelling last-minute, but if his mom made him go, he’d be screwed. He’d banked on her saying yes.

“Yeah, that sounds reasonable. As long as you’re okay with not going and Jacob’s family doesn’t mind you cancelling. Be sure to let them know right away.”

“I did. Thanks, mom.” Link knew his mother was trying not to rock the boat. Link was better, but little things still upset him, and somehow that translated into her trying to keep him happy as often as possible. He felt bad, but if it got him out of the trip, he would use it to his advantage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl and Rhinkipoo for their tireless effort in editing this monster. Couldn't do it without them.


	28. Chapter 28

_ April _

 

Rhett leaned against a wall, sipping his second beer of the evening. The music was pulsing so loudly that he could feel it in his ears, and he wondered if it was his heartbeat or the bass. He couldn’t believe he was at a college party, that he’d somehow managed to get there with permission… more or less.

Riley had convinced Mr. McLaughlin to let Rhett stay the night at his house Saturday night. He’d talked up the big “college tour” the basketball players had invited the boys to. Mr. McLaughlin agreed and said he’d join Rhett on the tour, but Riley used his slick charm to convince Mr. McLaughlin that they’d be well-supervised by his own parents. He even slipped in the detail that his girlfriend would be joining them, since she planned to attend NC State, too. It actually worked, and Rhett got the go-ahead to attend and spend the weekend with Riley’s family.

It wasn’t an outright lie, either. Riley’s signature lie was to tell the truth and then conveniently forget to tell the  _ rest _ of the truth. And there  _ was  _ a college tour. Riley and Rhett had spent the day seeing classrooms, the locker room and basketball court, the library, and even had dinner at the campus center.

But after the sun set, Rhett found himself at a fraternity house. Most of the basketball players were in the same fraternity, and Riley was a legacy. Even though recruiting early was against the rules, they let the boys slip in mostly unnoticed. So there they were, in the middle of a party. Or, there Rhett was. Riley and his girlfriend, Megan, had wandered off for drinks an hour ago and hadn’t returned yet. Rhett didn’t expect he would see them again anytime soon.

Rhett tipped back the rest of his beer, then pushed himself off of the wall, looking for a refill. As he headed toward the kitchen, where most of the drinks and snacks were splayed out across the island, the music grew quieter. He started to reach for a cup of beer, but a hand reached out across the table and snatched it out of reach. He followed the hand to look up at a brown-haired, blue-eyed guy in front of him.

“Beer? Let me guess. You’re one of the high school kids.” He raised an eyebrow inquisitively at Rhett, placing a cup of who-knows-what in front of Rhett. “Try this instead.”

“What is it?” Rhett glanced between the cup and the guy offering it to him.

“It’s party juice! We take everything in the cabinet, dump it into a bowl, and add some fruit punch. It can get a little dangerous, so go easy. Or don’t. I’m not your dad.” He winked at Rhett and turned to walk away.

“Thanks,” Rhett called after him. He considered leaving the concoction there and grabbing a beer instead, sticking with the safer choice. He’d had beer, knew what it was like. But he didn’t know when he’d get invited to another college party, at least not until he was actually  _ in _ college, so he picked up the drink and gave it a small slosh in the cup. He smelled it and jerked back. The fumes were enough to tell him it was best to take the advice he’d been given and go easy on it.

He cautiously took a sip, nearly gagging with the way it burned down his throat. It was definitely more alcohol than punch. In fact, Rhett couldn’t be certain that they’d even added the punch. It was a combination of drinks that surely didn’t belong together. Rhett was there to have fun, though, or as Riley suggested, to “stop stressing about how much you miss Link for just one night.” He took a deep breath, tipped the cup back, and chugged the contents as quickly as possible. His lungs felt like they were on fire, and he belched, the fumes from the alcohol stinging his nose. He reached across the table for the cup of beer he’d previously gone for and took a big drink, swishing it in his mouth before swallowing, trying to clear out the awful taste of the party juice.

Rhett held the beer in his hand as he stumbled back into the crowd. He started to feel the effect of the party juice pretty quickly, enhancing the buzz he’d felt from the beers he’d already had. His skin tingled with warmth, and his mind was growing hazy. His eyes were trying to flutter closed, but he didn’t want to be the guy who fell asleep at the party, so he wandered around. He felt a jab in his side and turned toward the source.

“Party juice treating you alright? How about another?”

Rhett was face-to-face with the guy who had offered up the party juice the first time. His blue eyes became the only things piercing through the fog in Rhett’s brain. If he squinted, the guy almost looked like Link, if Link were about three years older and had grown a goatee.  _ God, I miss him _ , Rhett thought. The guy held out a cup toward Rhett, and before Rhett knew it, he was chugging yet another cup of the party juice.

“Thanks,” Rhett said. The guy plucked the empty cup from his hand and discarded it on a nearby table.

“Wow, you’re a pro. Most guys can’t manage the juice until their third or fourth time, not like that.” He licked his lips and Rhett smiled. His vision blurred at the edges and he started to sway to one side. The stranger grabbed his arm, steadying him. Rhett regained his balance, but the hand never left his arm. “So you’re coming to NC State next year, huh? You must be what, 17? 18?”

Rhett may have been drunk, but it was impossible to miss the hungry look on the guy’s face. Rhett was determined to be polite, though, to the only person who had bothered to try to make conversation at the party so far.

“Yeah, I’m 18. I’m coming here to play basketball next year.” Rhett’s words were starting to slur, and he was grateful for the hand still on his arm to keep him upright.

“Guess you’re my new teammate, then. Hey, it’s pretty loud in here. Let’s go find someplace quieter to chat. You can tell me all about your favorite position. In basketball, I mean,” he hollered over the music.

Rhett followed him, turning until they found an empty hallway. The guy grabbed Rhett, pulling him in and kissing him with force. Rhett started to pull himself back, but the strong arms held him in place. He was too drunk to resist much, and soon the teeth that had been biting at his lip were grazing along his jaw and then his neck. He may have been a couple of inches taller than the guy, but he was slimmer and not nearly as strong. He swayed and tried to put a little bit of distance between them, to clear his head. It wasn’t working.

“I’ve been watching you, catching you looking at me all night,” he growled into Rhett’s ear. Rhett tried to think back. He hadn’t recalled really seeing the guy more than a few times in the crowd. His eyes lingered once, maybe, because of the uncanny resemblance to Link, but he didn’t think he’d been staring.

“Oh. You just… you look like my boy--” his words were cut off with another kiss. This time Rhett couldn’t fight it. The guy looked so much like Link. Rhett was drunk, and it felt too good, and he didn’t  _ want _ to fight it. He let himself sink into it, even enjoy it, and before long he had his future teammate up against the wall. Rhett placed his hand on the wall to steady himself as he kissed the guy, deeply. He felt a hand run down his chest, then down his stomach. There was a noise behind him, someone calling a name maybe, but he drowned it out, lost in the moment.

“What the--” a voice came from behind Rhett, and the guy he was kissing shoved him backward, hard. Rhett stumbled, his feet unable to keep up with the force of the shove.

“This… this… gay kid freakin’ kissed me, man! Who invited him?” His eyes darted around as he wiped at his mouth, like he hadn’t come on to Rhett, like he hadn’t initiated the entire scene by giving Rhett drinks and then leading him down this hallway. He acted like none of it had happened, except for Rhett kissing him. Rhett wrinkled his brow, confused, his drunken brain spinning to catch up.

“Hey, no, I--” Rhett didn’t get the opportunity to finish defending himself, because a solid punch slammed against his mouth, knocking him to the ground.

“Someone get his ass out of here!” The guy was yelling now, having punched Rhett, and was drawing attention to the scene. A flood of slurs and insults came from his mouth, all trying to make it seem like Rhett had initiated the entire situation. Rhett was dizzy, and he didn’t think he could stand up to get away. He reached to touch his lip, and looked at his fingers to see them tinged with blood.

“Rhett? Rhett!” Riley hollered, racing up the hallway to shove his way into the commotion. Megan followed closely behind. “Oh my God! What the heck happened?”

Riley didn’t wait to hear anyone’s response, but everyone was talking over each other about the high school kid who forced a kiss on the guy. Riley slipped his arm around Rhett, lifting him to his feet. Rhett draped an arm across Riley’s shoulders, and Megan slipped under Rhett’s other arm, trying to steady him the best she could with her small frame.

“Let’s get out of here, man.” They stumbled to the door, blood running down Rhett’s chin. As they reached the door, Rhett felt a surge of cool spring air washing over them.

They ambled up the street to a payphone on the side of the road. Riley and Megan eased Rhett onto the ground. Riley fished in his pockets for spare change, inserting it into the phone and dialing his home number.

“Dad? Can you come get us? We’re near the Kappa house, just up the street by a pay phone. I can’t drive.” His dad assured him he’d be there and told them to stay put. He knew where the house was, having spent his own time in the house in college. Riley hung up the phone and sat down next to Rhett in the glow of the street light. Megan leaned on Riley’s shoulder.

“You okay, man?” Riley looked over Rhett, and he didn’t look great. Rhett didn’t have time to answer, though, because suddenly he was sick. He turned onto his hands and knees, hurling into the grass beside him. Blood from his split lip mixed with the alcohol he couldn’t keep down. His mouth stung and he felt weak. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, then settled himself back down on the grass. “I guess that answers my question,” Riley said with a sigh.

“What the hell happened back there?” Megan asked after a few quiet moments. Rhett tried to remember. His brain was still fuzzy from the alcohol, and he was exhausted.

“I remember I drank a lot. Some of the party juice, a few beers. This guy kept comin’ up and talking to me, trying to get me to drink more. And he looked so much like Link. God, he looked like Link.” Tears stung Rhett’s eyes, and he let himself trail off.

“So you kissed him?” Riley was trying to put the pieces together, comparing what Rhett was saying with what he’d heard while tugging Rhett off of the ground back at the fraternity house. He wanted to know how they’d gone from a good time to dangerous territory so quickly.

“No! I mean, I didn’t at first. He took me down this hallway, and he was like… I don’t know, man. He was all over me. I don’t know what happened, but I guess I was just really drunk, and I didn’t want to keep fighting him off. The next thing I knew, I was on my ass and my lip was bleeding.” Before Rhett could sort out any more of the details or figure out how he’d gone from being forced into kisses to making out with the guy, a car pulled up and slowed down by the curb they were seated near. The window rolled down, allowing Riley’s dad to holler to them. Riley helped Rhett slide into the back and stumbled in behind him, allowing Megan the front seat of the car.

“What happened?” Riley’s dad demanded after taking one look at Rhett’s face.

“We all just had a little bit too much to drink. Somebody got rough with Rhett, just some lame argument about basketball. Can we please just go home?” Rhett tried to smile at Riley, a silent thanks for not outing him, but his lips hurt, cracking with the dried blood and vomit. Riley gave an almost imperceptible nod, then leaned his head against the car window and closed his eyes.

Inside the door at Riley’s house, his dad patted him on the shoulder.

“I’m really proud of you for calling when you knew you shouldn’t drive. Let’s not make this a habit, okay?”

“Yes, sir.” Riley nodded.

He guided Rhett to his room, then pulled the trundle out from under his bed and tugged it into position. He got Rhett settled onto it, passing him a pillow and some blankets. Riley went to his closet and pulled some pills out of a bag, handing one to Rhett.

“Take this. It’ll help with the hangover.” He handed him a glass of water, and Rhett didn’t ask questions. He simply slipped the pill into his mouth and downed half the water. He placed the glass on the nearby windowsill for later. Rhett thought about how his own father would have responded to Rhett being at the party and drinking. Then he realized how much worse it would be if his dad knew what he’d been doing at the party and how he split his lip. He sighed and settled his head onto the pillow, falling asleep quickly.

That night, he had the most vivid dream of Link. Link was crying in the dream, and every time Rhett would try to comfort him, nothing would help. He woke with a start, the piercing blue eyes burned into his mind. He felt waves of guilt wash over him, and his heart hurt far worse than the headache from the hangover. Rhett cried into the pillow, sobs shaking his body.

“You okay, man?” Riley lifted his head from his pillow and focused his eyes on Rhett.

“I can’t believe I did that. I… I promised Link, and then I…” he cried harder, the pillow muffling his words.

“Hey, take a deep breath. It was a mistake, and you were drunk. You’re never going to do this again, right?” Riley’s voice was even and reassuring.

“No.”

“Then there’s no reason Link has to find out. Like I said, it was a mistake. One drunken mistake shouldn’t ruin what you two have. Your secret’s safe with me, man. I’m not telling him, and I’d suggest you don’t either. It’ll only hurt him, and that’ll only hurt you.”

Rhett nodded, and hoped like heck he’d be able to forget how badly he’d betrayed Link.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks always to rhinkipoo and clemwasjustagirl/shewasjustagirl for helping me with this. If this chapter broke you, please go tell clemwasjustagirl because it is entirely her fault.


	29. Chapter 29

_ May _

Rhett poked his head into his mom’s room. Usually, she was up before he was. She’d go downstairs, read the paper and do her Bible study, drinking coffee long before Rhett was dressed and ready to go to school. Today, though, she was nowhere to be seen. Rhett was dressed and had eaten, finished up a last-minute assignment he’d forgotten. It was starting to border on  _ too late _ when Rhett went in to check on his mother. If they didn’t leave soon, there wasn’t a chance he’d make it to school before his first class started. But she was still in bed. Rhett wasn’t sure what it was, maybe the flu or something, but she looked positively awful.

“Are we, uh… am I going to school?” Rhett wasn’t pushing for school necessarily, but it was one of the few ways he could go somewhere other than the house.

“Give me… give me a few minutes and…” She couldn’t get her sentence out all at once, her words slow and labored, tired like he’d waken her. “I’ll get ready.” He walked over to her and put his hand on her head. She was burning up. She started to lift herself out of bed, but her eyes fluttered and she laid back down. “Just take the keys. I’ll see you after school.” She groaned the words.

“Do you need me to get you anything before--”

“Go. I’ll be fine.” She tugged the covers over her head as Rhett walked away. He closed the door quietly behind him.

Rhett walked downstairs quietly, in hopes he wouldn’t disturb her too much. In all honesty, given the way she looked, a herd of elephants probably could have run down the stairs and she wouldn’t have noticed, but he was trying to be nice. He unhooked the keys from the key hook in the living room and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He still hadn’t been able to drive himself to and from school until now, his parents holding firm in their stance on him having as little alone time, as little chance to run again, as possible.

They’d started to relent at first, giving in on little permissions for Rhett to see friends more often, but when he’d returned home from the party, from Riley’s house, with a fat lip, they cracked down. They didn’t buy his lame excuse about accidentally running into a light pole while walking around campus. They pressed for details, for the truth, but he stuck to his story. Even with Riley corroborating it, the restrictions stayed tightly in place and he wasn’t even allowed to spend the night at Riley’s anymore.

But with his dad at work and his mother ill, there was no one else to drive Rhett to school, and he relished in the freedom it offered. Sure, he was just driving to school and back again, but it was something that was solely for him. His fingers felt electric as he turned in the direction of the exit he needed to take toward Raleigh, but at the last second, something came over him. His wheel turned away from his exit and before he knew it, he was headed in the other direction entirely.

Rhett tried to process the way his body was guiding him, while his brain was still steps behind. Soon, he was sitting in front of Harnett Central High, his car parked in the mostly-empty lot. He still had time to change his mind, to get to school, but just barely. He knew now, though, that there was no chance he would. Since his school was 45 minutes away in good traffic, he got an earlier start than anyone coming to Harnett, leaving only a few people in the parking lot. Most of them were straggling teachers, but a few were overachieving students who were  _ always  _ there early.

Rhett settled down onto the grass, curling one leg under the other and resting his chin on his knee as he caught up on required reading for English class. If he wasn’t going to be in school today, he could at least get prepared for Monday while he waited for Link to get to school.

“Rhett? Rhett!” Link spotted him immediately, running toward him and nearly knocking Rhett over in the grass. Rhett dropped his book to one side, hugging Link where he sat, then they both climbed to their feet. He wrapped his arms around Link and lifted him so Link’s toes barely grazed the ground. There was no need to hide their affections for each other here -- everyone at Harnett knew why he’d left. Link apparently didn’t mind the public attention, either, because when Rhett placed him back down, he stepped back and tugged at Rhett’s tie. “You look good in this.”

He held onto the tie for awhile, giving it one more gentle tug so Rhett would get the hint. Rhett did, dipping his head to kiss Link. For a minute, it was like they were alone. Rhett thought this was the cliché kind of thing that only happened in movies until he was right in the middle of the feeling, the world melting around him as he focused solely on how incredible it felt to kiss Link again.

“What are the odds that you’d be able to blow off class and spend time with me?” Rhett joked. He immediately corrected “I don’t want you to get in trouble or anything, obviously.” Rhett realized after he’d first made the joke that it wasn’t fair to ask if Link was willing to miss school just because he’d impulsively blown it off, but Link was unphased.

“Mom’s at a conference until tomorrow. Looks like the odds are pretty good.” He grinned ear to ear and grabbed Rhett’s hand, starting toward Rhett’s car. Rhett released Link’s hand long enough to pick his book and backpack up off the ground, discarded during their intense greeting, and then followed behind Link. Without question or hesitation, Link climbed into the passenger seat of the Dynasty, running his hand along the leather dash. It had been so long since they’d embarked on the journey that would lead them… well, back to Buies Creek. But first to each other. The car flooded him with memories of the nights they’d slept in the car, how they’d traveled hundreds of miles.

“Probably not the best idea for me to joke about us running away together right now, is it?” Rhett asked as he reached across the center console to take Link’s hand.

“We could, but I don’t think we’d make it as far as we did the last time, would we?” Link sighed. Rhett didn’t ask where Link wanted to go, and Link didn’t ask where they were headed. Link’s mention that his mom was gone was invitation enough. If they had tried to go anywhere else in Buies Creek, they’d likely get spotted and word would get back to Rhett’s family before they even got a few minutes more together. Instead, it just made sense for them to spend the time at Link’s otherwise empty house.

“You skipped school.” Link didn’t know why he stated the obvious. Rhett was in his uniform,  _ of course  _ he’d skipped. It wasn’t an accusation or anything. It was just that, an observation and a statement. Rhett had skipped school, and he’d come to see Link.

“Yeah, I know. I don’t really care.” Rhett squeezed his hand. “Graduation is in a week. What are they going to do? Stop me from graduating? The worst stuff that could happen to me has already happened.” The eyeroll was clear in his tone of voice. They were both quiet for a moment, letting the quiet radio fill the silence between them. They’d been apart for so long and in some ways, it was overwhelming. They wanted to talk about everything and nothing and the sheer number of options just led them to not talk much at all for a minute or two.

“So, graduation. Are you excited?” Link tried to continue the train of thought Rhett had started.

“Pffft, no. Screw graduation. I don’t get to go through it with you, so why do I care about it at all?” Rhett had always been a futurist, but now his future looked bleak. He sighed as the navigated the car down the road Link lived on. “I’ve got stupid NC State next year. I don’t want to go. It’s all just so… so… stupid.” He repeated himself, his thoughts seeming to say that the entire future was stupid if Link wasn’t playing a key role in every minute of it.

Rhett let Link believe his attitude about the future was because of his dad’s decision on NC State, and his own desire to join Link at UNC Asheville instead. And that was true, those were his main reasons to be upset about his upcoming college career. But he was also dreading the fallout of the last time he’d been on campus at NC State. He knew none of it would be easily forgotten, that to the team he was probably already branded “that gay kid.” But Riley was right, there was no reason to hurt Link, to hurt them both, by bringing it up. So, Rhett let the initial implication stand and asked Link about his own graduation instead.

“I wish you could go to UNCA with me.”

“Me, too.” Rhett bit his lip as he pulled up to Link’s house. They’d spent the ride catching up on the main stuff, but it only made Link realize how they’d heard so much of that through Ben already.  _ Poor Ben,  _ Link thought. He’d endured them both whining and asking about the other for months without too much complaint.

As soon as they closed the door to Link’s house behind them, they realized there were other things they’d missed aside from just being able to talk to each other. Rhett yanked Link into a deep kiss and Link didn’t even consider pulling away. They guided each other to Link’s room, refusing to detach themselves for even a second. Link walked backward blindly as he tangled himself in kisses. Rhett’s arms wrapped around Link’s waist and Link’s around Rhett’s neck. Rhett kept his eyes open just enough to ensure neither of them ran into a wall or random piece of furniture by accident, and when they arrived in Link’s room, Rhett laid him down on the bed, positioning himself above Link.

The way Link kissed Rhett, it was like he was insatiable. In all the time they’d spend in Phoenix and LA, nothing felt like this. While they were gone, they’d had all the time in the world, but here they hadn’t seen each other or felt each other’s touch in months. They collided under the looming feeling of  _ not enough time  _ and couldn’t seem to release from that. The pressure that came from the realization that in the blink of an eye, this could be ripped away and they’d have to wait until August, until they were able to drive to each other’s colleges, to see each other again, was all-consuming.

“Gosh, I missed you,” Rhett breathed before lowering himself to kiss Link again. Link responded by grazing his fingers along Rhett’s back and it was enough to cause Rhett to sit up and loosen his tie. He removed his jacket and dropped his tie unceremoniously on top of it on the floor. Link’s fingertips played with the buttons on Rhett’s shirt.  _ Was this okay? _ Link wondered. He stopped worrying enough to unbutton Rhett’s shirt, but as he reached the last button, he froze. They’d spent so much time apart and all of this was happening so fast. Link unbuttoned the last button, then reached to slide the shirt from Rhett’s shoulders as it fell off of him the rest of the way. But Rhett sensed Link’s moment of hesitation, and mirrored the same feelings as he took his hand and entwined their fingers, letting himself fall on the bed beside Link instead of pushing for them to move further. Rhett kissed the silver ring Link still wore, the one he’d placed on his hand over a year earlier.

“Sorry,” Link muttered, a blush rising to his cheeks. Rhett kissed his hair.

“Don’t. We were both getting a little… we just missed each other. It’s okay. We stopped.” For a few minutes they laid there, let their breathing fall into rhythm with each other.

“What if I don’t get to see you again until you go to school?” Link wondered out loud. They’d never been good at small talk -- their conversation in the car had proven that very clearly. Even with months apart, Link wasn’t afraid to jumping headfirst into talking about his hopes and fears with Rhett like no time had passed at all.

“You’ll get to. I’ll figure something out,” Rhett promised, kicking himself for not trying harder before now, for letting his family keep him from Link for so long. In the day-to-day, it was easy to get caught up in homework and basketball, and while Link never left his mind, he felt sick that he hadn’t escaped, ran, clawed his way back to Link any way he could in spite of his father’s threats.

“I’m sorry I didn’t figure out more ways to see you.” Link spoke the words that Rhett had been thinking, apologized for their shared regret in that moment, for all the times they’d missed together.

“I’m so sorry, Link. I am. My dad, he’s been… he’s made a lot of threats.” Rhett squeezed his eyes shut to keep tears from forming. He heard a small gasp escape Link’s mouth. This was totally new information for Link, something that he wouldn’t have heard from Ben because Rhett hadn’t told him, hadn’t told anyone about it.

“Threats like what?” Link’s voice shook.

“We stole the car, you know? Like, it’s in their name and we drove it all the way to California. He keeps reminding me that he could have had us both arrested, and kind of talks like he still wants to. He’s brought that up more than a few times now.” Link was silent to Rhett’s confession over the car, like he was holding his breath trying not to freak out. It wasn’t new information, but the solidity of the words, the weight of the thought they could have been arrested, it hit them both heavily. “That’s not all, though. Before my birthday, he talked about having me institutionalized or something, for my anger issues and stuff from when I punched the wall. I think he was hoping they’d give me some kind of therapy to make me fall out of love with you. It’s a lot of really scary stuff, I don’t know…” Rhett let himself trail off.

Link nodded. He would have been terrified in that situation, too. In many ways, he was actually still scared over the things Rhett  _ had  _ revealed. He never faulted Rhett for not coming to him. They’d both simply been looking out for each other, and for themselves, when they’d stayed apart at Rhett’s parents insistence. It didn’t make it easy for them, both of their hearts aching and dragging friends into the middle to help them communicate during their time apart, but they only wanted the best for each other.

“We’re together now, though.” Rhett scooted himself closer to Link, eliminating any space that happened to still be between them. “After we leave for college, they can’t keep us apart, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know. Maybe I can drive to you on the weekends, or we could meet in the middle sometimes? If you wanted to, I mean.” Link did the math. It wasn’t that long of a drive, a few hours. Hours spent driving were nothing compared to what they’d had to endure lately, months without seeing each other at all.

“I think my parents will let me take my car when I get to college, but if they don’t, Riley said I can borrow his car to see you if I need to.” Link couldn’t help but smile at what Rhett was saying. He’d felt so jealous about the friendship Rhett and Riley had formed, and he still hated that they were getting the college experience together without him, but Link couldn’t bring himself to dislike Riley. He’d only ever done things to help them, like pretending to be Rhett so they could have Halloween together.

“Riley seems really nice. I’m glad that you guys are friends.” Link meant it genuinely, but there was still a tone of sadness in his voice.

“He’s no you,” Rhett reassured him. “I mean, I know that you know he’s like… not going to replace you as my boyfriend or anything. But as a friend, he’s no you. I think you’d actually like him a lot, though, if you got to meet him.”

“I think I would, too.” Link laid his head on Rhett’s shoulder and traced his hand along Rhett’s stomach and arm. Link told Rhett about all the things he’d done at school, and told him about he and Jacob, and even about the comment someone had made about Rhett finding a new boyfriend because of the picture of Rhett and Riley in the paper on their signing day. He told Rhett about the classes he loved and the ones he hated, and how it felt to receive his acceptance letter to UNC Asheville.

Rhett asked questions and engaged in the conversation, but he failed to fill in the details of his own year. Link spilled stories and talked about emotions, and friendships and the activities he’d taken part in. But Rhett feared if he opened his mouth, shared about his year, that he’d confess to Link that he’d kissed someone else, not just kissed, but made out with. Soon Link ran out of stories to tell and Rhett ran out of questions to ask without sharing his own stories, so they fell into silence. They didn’t attempt to fill the quiet between them, instead filling the time with soft kisses. Link rested his head on Rhett’s chest, taking in his heartbeat until he felt Rhett’s stomach growl.

“Oh!” Rhett  exclaimed, and Link giggled. Soon, both of them dissolved into laughter that shook them, and Link suggested they get out of bed and go to the kitchen. They wandered in, Rhett’s hand on Link’s waist like if he let go, he might lose touch with gravity. He remembered the last time they’d been together, when they’d made cupcakes for his birthday.

“I keep forgetting to bring my camera when I see you.” Rhett’s comment reminded Link of something, and he ran to his room, fishing his camera out and setting it down on the kitchen counter when he returned.

“Check it out!” Link flicked the camera on, bending down to make his face line up with the lens. He spoke to the camera. “Hey, so I’ve spent most of these tapes so far talking about this dork that I’m in love with. And if we ever get to, we’re probably just going to combine our footage anyway, so this is totally unnecessary to our plot line, I think. But you still have to meet him.” Link yanked Rhett into the frame and kissed him. They both howled with laughter again as Link flicked the camera off.

“You got a camera, and you’ve been using it to talk about me? Really?” Rhett had done the same thing with his camera, spending time talking about how much he missed Link or sharing his feelings about his dad’s threats and the things he’d been worried about heading into college without Link. He’d left off any mention of the party. But he hadn’t expected Link to get a camera, to talk about him.

“What can I say? I’m a big sap!” Link opened the bread and placed a heap of lunch meat and cheese on it, then handed it to Rhett. He made a second sandwich for himself and hopped up on the counter to eat. Rhett leaned against the countertop next to him, both too hungry to make time for words.

When Link finished, he brushed his hands on his pants anxiously. He turned his palms upright, resting them on his knees and Rhett placed his on top of Link’s.

“Remember our first kiss?” Rhett thought back to the hand slap game and how they’d been goofing off until suddenly they weren’t, suddenly they were everything.

“Hmm… nope.” Link tried his hardest to say it with no inflection or emotion, to keep his expression blank, but he cracked a smile and gave himself away.  _ How could I ever forget?  _ He thought. He moved his hands to slap the top of Rhett’s. Rhett let his hands stay in place, let them get slapped.

“Someday we’re gonna tell our kids about it, and I’m going to tell them that you play the game really roughly.” Rhett mocked injury, shaking his hand. Link pulled Rhett’s hand to his mouth and kissed it gently.

“Better?”

“Better.” Rhett leaned in to kiss Link. “Video games?”

Link hopped off the counter in response and headed toward the living room. The two played until after three, and when Rhett realized the time, he dropped the controller mid-game.

“Crap! I’m supposed to be home from school in twenty minutes!” He jumped up and ran to Link’s room, grabbing his shirt, tie, and jacket from the floor and getting dressed hastily, trying to make himself look presentable. He came back and saw Link sitting in the floor staring blankly, resisting the urge to cry. Rhett placed his hand on Link’s shoulder, and Link stood and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave you.” Rhett sighed.

“Three more months. We can figure it out, can’t we?”

* * *

 

Link stalked into the kitchen, sad over Rhett leaving. He closed the bread they’d left open on the counter, forgotten in the shuffle toward video games and relishing every moment they had. He reached to grab his camera and put it away, but noticed the flash of the answering machine.  _ Maybe they called while we were in my room, _ he thought as he pressed the play button. A voice crackled from the speaker on the machine.

“Hi, Ms. Neal. I’m calling from Harnett Central to inform you that your son Link wasn’t in class today. If this was an excused absence, can you please send a signed note with him to school Monday? Thank you and have a great weekend.”

Link pressed the button quickly to delete the message before his mother could hear it when she returned home the next day. He ripped a piece of paper off of the memo pad by the phone.

**_Link was sick and unable to attend class Friday._ **

He penned the note as neatly as possible, trying to mimic his mother’s even hand, then carefully drew out a near-copy of his mother’s signature on the paper and stuck it in his backpack to take to school on Monday.

* * *

 

When Rhett got home, his mother was still in bed. He straightened his tie to make himself look like he’d arrived home from school instead of from his boyfriend’s house, just in case she made it out of the bedroom into the kitchen. He grabbed a bag of pretzels from the counter and spread his books out in front of him on the table. He scanned the syllabi, seeing if he could figure out what work he’d missed, or at least what he’d need to know for finals in a couple of weeks. An hour into his studies, the door clacked closed and he looked up to see his father walk into the house.

“Hey,” Rhett said cooly.

“Where’s your mother?” Rhett stifled a snort. Of course his father hadn’t said hello to him, or asked how his day had gone. He cut straight to the chase, like Rhett was an afterthought, not worth actually interacting with.

“Upstairs in bed. She’s been sick all day.” Rhett stared at the paper in front of him. His father placed his briefcase on the counter, then pressed the button on the answering machine.

“We’re calling because Rhett wasn’t in school today…” the voice started, but Rhett didn’t hear the rest of the message as his father slammed his hand on the counter.

“What’s this message about, Rhett?” His father demanded, but Rhett stayed silent. “Rhett, I asked you a question. Did you attend school today or not?”

“Probably just a mistake. Happens all the time.” Rhett waved his hand in the air and refused to look his father in the eye, keeping his back toward him and his focus on his studies.

“Don’t lie to me. Why were not in school today?” His father demanded, closer to Rhett now, just steps away.”

“Mom was sick.” It wasn’t a lie. His mother was sick and she hadn’t driven him to school. He left out the part where she’d offered to let him drive and he’d instead driven to Harnett.

His father snapped, slammed his hand on the table next to Rhett now, as if him slamming it on the counter wasn’t close enough to get through to Rhett how he felt.

“She was sick and allowed you to miss school instead of calling me to drive you?” He was yelling now, his hand shaking slightly with anger, and his mother stepped down the stairs.

“What’s going on?” She held the wall, steadying herself.

“Did you drive Rhett to school today?” His father turned, snapping at her. “Or did you let him skip?” His tone was sharp, an accusation not even thinly veiled.

“I told him to… to drive to school.”

“Son of a--” he cut himself off, whipping around to grip the collar of Rhett’s shirt, yanking Rhett to a standing position and not letting go. “You were ruining your life and I worked for months,  _ months _ , to sort it out.” He walked Rhett backward, still holding Rhett’s shirt tightly, his face red. “I spent thousands of dollars on tuition and countless hours fighting to get you into NC State, and you repay me by taking the first opportunity you get to show me that it’s worth trusting your sorry ass, to blow all of it off?” A vein throbbed at his temple, and he was holding Rhett’s face in place, inches from his own, screaming at him. Rhett reached out and grabbed his father’s wrist, staring him down.

“You need to take your freakin’ hands off of my shirt now.” Rhett didn’t scream, didn’t raise his voice at all. He let his calm even tone cut deeper than a scream would.

“You will not disrespect me by telling me what to do, do you understand me? I have half a mind to--” he was waggling his finger in Rhett’s face. Rhett’s mother raced to their side as quickly as she could, still looking peaked. She placed a hand on each of their chests, an attempt to guide them apart even though Rhett was backed against a wall and couldn’t step back if he tried. It was enough, though, to make his father release him. Rhett straightened himself, standing at his full height now, looking down at his father.

“I’m done,” Rhett said flatly, barely above a whisper. He cleared his throat and looked between his mother and his father. “I’m freakin’ done. You’ve locked me in this  _ damn _ house like a prisoner, you’ve treated me like crap, because you don’t like who I’m in love with.” He got a little louder. “You can say all you want that it’s about anything else, about me running away or about my freakin’ fat lip last month, but I know the truth.”

No one moved. The words Rhett said echoed around them, like they didn’t understand what he was meaning by “done.” He figured he’d make it clearer for them.

“You want to make threats about the car? Keep it. I don’t want your stupid car. I don’t want your tuition money. And I don’t want to go to NC State. So like I said, I’m done.”

Rhett picked up his books from the table, shoving them into his backpack. He stormed up the stairs, locking the door behind him. His parents screamed at each other from the kitchen, but he didn’t bother trying to make out the words as he pulled the bag out of his closet. He emptied it, refilling it with his spare uniform and some other changes of clothes. His mind wandered back to when he’d done this previously, the night before he and Link left. This time, it was different. This time he was an adult, and no one could make him come home.

He stuffed his change jar and all the cash he had inside of the bag, placed the camera and every tape he had, filled or blank, into it, too. He packed the card Link had given him, all the notes he had from Link, too. His eyes scanned the room. Anything he didn’t take today, he assumed he’d never see again. For half a second, he considered taking the guitar, too, the one thing he’d left behind the first time he ran away. He looked between his backpack and the duffel and realized there was no way he could carry the guitar, too, so he decided he’d buy one like he did in LA if he had to. This time, he didn’t have the car to help him.

Rhett opened the door to his room, looking back at it one last time. He walked downstairs and walked toward his mom, his parents still arguing. He hugged her tightly.

“Goodbye, mom.” He started toward the door without a word to his dad.

“Rhett? Rhett! Where are you going?” She cried out.

“Neither of you trust me, and neither of you actually care about me. You’re wrapped up in your own ideas, in the need to control everything I do. You didn’t love me or accept me or show me that you missed me when I came back. You locked me up. You kept me from the one thing that was keeping me alive and keeping me feeling safe. I’m eighteen now, though, and I don’t  _ have  _ to stay. It’s taken me this long to realize it, but this time, you’re not stopping me.” He put his hand on the doorknob, wondering for half a second if they might run after him, hug him, say they were sorry.

“Rhett McLaughlin, you will  _ not  _ leave this house.” His father hissed the words, and it just confirmed what Rhett had thought. Control, not love.

“You can forget that name. If you ever see me again, I’ll be Rhett Neal by then.”

“You better not even think about going to--” his father started, but Rhett cut him off.

“Try and stop me.” Rhett opened the door, stepped out, and slammed it as hard as he could behind him. He resolved that this time around, he would  _ never  _ look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much love and so many thanks to @rhinkipoo and @clemwasjustagirl (shewasjustagirl on ao3) for their support, reading, and love with this chapter. <3


	30. Chapter 30

Link swung the door open quickly, holding a twenty in his hand. He felt like he’d barely had time to place the phone down, grab a soda, flip through channels to find something to watch, and the pizza guy was here already?

“That was fas-- Rhett?” Rhett stood in front of him, a backpack on his shoulder and a duffel in his hand. His eyes were red and puffy, and it was clear he’d been crying. Link couldn’t help realizing that something was seriously wrong.

“Can I crash here?” 

Link stepped back to let Rhett in as Rhett dropped the bag on the floor and wrapped his arms around Link.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Link didn’t bother to say yes to Rhett’s question. Of course Rhett could stay, and he had known that before he’d even walked to Link’s house. But Rhett didn’t answer Link’s question, either. Instead they held each other close as Rhett’s body shook with sobs. He slipped his fingers through Link’s hair, holding him in place and breathing him in. They’d only been apart for a few hours, but everything had changed. Sitting at his table that afternoon, Rhett had remembered how much Link meant to him, that he truly had a love worth fighting for. Anything his dad said that day was liable to make him snap, but the fact that it was an all-out argument had only pushed him out the door faster, right back into Link’s arms.

“Uh, hello?” There was a knock on the door frame. Link jumped back from Rhett’s hug in surprise, and all at once Rhett and Link realized that neither of them had closed the door behind Rhett. “Pizza?” The pizza guy held up a black polyester bag that kept the pizza hot. Link thanked him, taking the pizza and handing him the twenty, waiting for his change.

Link shut the door behind the pizza guy and turned to Rhett. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming or I would have ordered two. We’ve got more stuff in the fridge, though, if we’re still hungry after this.” He plopped the pizza box on the coffee table and flopped on the couch, opening the box and waiting for Rhett to take a slice. “Why’d you come back? I’m not complaining. I want you here. I never wanted you to leave to begin with. But why’d you come back?  _ How  _ did you come back?”

Rhett described the fight he’d had with his dad and how scared he had been that his dad might hit him this time. He told Link how his dad held his collar and backed him against the wall, and how he’d tried to stay calm but inside he was terrified. And he told Link how he’d told his parents he wasn’t coming back. Link reassured him that he’d made the right choice, and Rhett told him that even without that, he would have found a way for them to be together. Link agreed.

“You’re kind of biased about me making the right choice, though. You want me here.” Rhett smiled, happy to be with Link, like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders the moment he walked in the door. Eighteen and out of his house, knowing he couldn’t go back even if he’d wanted to, which he didn’t… it wouldn’t be easy. It hadn’t been easy the first time, when they’d left and gone to LA, when they didn’t think they’d be back. But this seemed more permanent, the way Rhett had left. He knew this was going to be worth it, easy or not.

“I want you  _ safe _ . But yeah, I want you with me. Of course I do.” Link grabbed another slice of pizza.

“There’s one other thing I said,” Rhett paused, unsure how to continue. “As I was leaving, he did that ridiculous ‘Rhett McLaughlin’ crap, and I told him he could forget that name because if he ever saw me again, I’d be Rhett Neal.”

Link almost choked on his pizza, setting his slice down and gulping loudly. He pulled Rhett toward him and placed a hand on each side of his face.

“Rhett, I love you. I would love you with any name you had. McLaughlin, Neal, it doesn’t matter.” He placed a kiss on the corner of Rhett’s mouth. “But if changing your name makes you feel better about this,” another kiss, this time on Rhett’s cheek, “then I am here for you and I will love you,” Link kissed his other cheek, “forever.”

Rhett pulled Link in for a real kiss this time, realizing that Link meant it. It really didn’t matter what his name was, though he liked the idea of leaving being a McLaughlin behind, in name and in spirit. Mostly, he just wanted to be with Link.

Rhett didn’t realize how much he’d missed sleeping next to Link in the year and a half he’d had to sleep alone, but the two of them wrapped themselves together in Link’s bed that night and held each other close. There was no longer a threat that Rhett’s parents would rip them apart -- Rhett was eighteen and there was nothing they could do now -- and the sense of safety and security wrapped around Rhett like a blanket. It was the fastest he had fallen asleep in months, feeling Link’s breath and heartbeat as they held hands and tangled their limbs, trying to get as close as they could.

* * *

 

Link shoveled cereal into his mouth, not noticing how Rhett watched him. Rhett didn’t take his eyes off of Link as he took a bite of his own cereal, taking in the sight and realizing how lucky he was to be here. Link’s hair stuck up at all angles, unbrushed, but even with his hair askew, sitting there eating like a caveman wearing sweatpants, Rhett thought he’d never looked more stunning. For a few minutes, he had this vision of domestic bliss that could one day be theirs if they could just make it through this part of their lives.

The door swung open as Link’s mom walked in, home from her trip. She carried her bag, setting it on the ground with a shout of “I’m home!”

“Rhett?” She froze mid-step, her expression puzzled. “Do your parents know you’re here?”

The three of them sat around the kitchen table for an hour sorting everything out. Rhett filled her in on all of the details, explaining why he was sitting in her kitchen after over a year of his parents having him on lockdown. She didn’t know about Halloween, and obviously had no clue Link had skipped school for them to spend the day before together, and as far as she knew, he wasn’t allowed at her house.

“So obviously I’m in kind of a tough position here, Rhett. Have you called home? Talked to them at all?”

“No. I uh, I’m pretty sure they know I’m not coming back this time. I really don’t have anything to say to them.” Rhett bit the inside of his cheek, trying to keep his emotions in check. Link’s mother winced, like she feared Link would want to leave again now that Rhett had. Link seemed to grasp this and put his hand on his mother’s arm to reassure her.

“Mom, Rhett’s eighteen. They can’t make him go home, can they?” Link was worried that Rhett would have to go back or that his mother could get in trouble for Rhett being there. But his mother shook her head no and gave them the reassurance they needed. No one would be able to force Rhett to return home if he was eighteen. At the same time, she wasn’t keen on the idea of Rhett staying at her house.

“Here’s the deal. You can stay tonight, but there are going to be some ground rules.” The boys nodded and she continued. “I accept that y’all are young and in love and all that seems great for you, but this is still my house. I still have to draw some lines here. I don’t know how y’all worked things out while you were gone, and to be honest, I don’t really want to hear the details. But under my roof, Rhett, you’ll sleep on a palette on the floor. Link, your bedroom door will need to be open tonight. Do we have a deal?” She waited for Rhett to say he was willing to agree to her terms and for Link to nod as well. “Tomorrow, though, you need to go home and talk to your parents.”

“What if… like… what if I don’t?” Rhett wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, especially since she was being so kind to let him stay the night, but there wasn’t a chance in heck he was willing to go back home after the argument the day before.

“I really think you should. And because of that, I can’t keep you here after tonight. You have school on Monday, right? You don’t want to miss out on graduation after you’ve worked so hard to finish school.” It hit Rhett that it wasn’t only Link keeping tabs on him through Ben. Link’s mom had to have gotten information from somewhere, too, whether it was from the other mothers in town or from Link himself. He couldn’t help but smile that she’d cared enough to know how he’d been doing in school.

“Thank you for letting me stay tonight.” Rhett didn’t promise he’d call home, but he figured he’d find a place to stay if he needed to. Maybe he would couch surf, or maybe Riley’s family would be willing to take him in. He didn’t know exactly where he’d go, but he’d do anything, stay anywhere he had to, if it meant not going home.

* * *

 

Rhett stared at the ceiling. His head rested on the pillow Link’s mom had brought him, and he pulled the blanket tighter around him. He could hear Link breathing softly across the room in his bed. For a long while, he thought Link had fallen asleep.

The door to Link’s room was open, like Link’s mother had asked. It allowed her to listen and make sure they weren’t doing anything she wasn’t okay with. Rhett closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but the idea that he and Link might actually be able to see each other regularly, even if he didn’t get to stay at his house, had him too excited. He heard a slight creak and his eyes snapped open. Then he heard another creak, and without a word, Link settled himself alongside Rhett on the floor, shifting to snuggle up to his side. Rhett instinctively moved, draping his arm across Link and interlocking their fingers.

Rhett wanted to whisper to Link how much he loved him, how happy he was, and he wanted to ask a million questions, starting with whether they’d get in trouble for Link coming to sleep on the ground. Instead, he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to wake Link’s mom. Link rolled toward Rhett, seeking out a silent kiss in the dark. It was risky -- if either of them made a sound that woke Link’s mom, they’d be  _ so dead _ . Link was willing to take the risk. It didn’t take long, though, for Link to grow still in Rhett’s arms, drifting off to sleep.

Rhett held him as closely as he could. In a room with a perfectly good bed, tonight they were both on the floor. Link’s mother had said that Rhett had to sleep on the floor, and she’d said the door had to be open. Sure, it had been implied that Link was supposed to sleep in the bed, but she hadn’t explicitly stated it, and Link had used the loophole to their advantage.

* * *

 

Link stood behind Rhett, draping his arms over Rhett’s shoulders while Rhett sat dialing Riley’s number. Rhett hooked his hand onto Link’s forearm with one hand, holding the phone with the other as he listened to it ring. Link loved being this close to Rhett and wanted nothing more than for him to stay here forever, or at least until college. But first, both of them had to graduate, and Link’s mom had made it clear that Rhett couldn’t stay another night. Rhett knew there was no way he’d be slinking back home, not after his big display a couple of days before. He had to get to school, though, and he no longer had a car. That meant a 45-minute drive would translate into an impossible walk, leaving him to call the one friend he had close enough, even if it meant being further away from Link for awhile.

“Hey, man. I’m… I’m kind of in a pinch. I was wondering if I could crash on your couch and catch a ride to school tomorrow?” Rhett asked Riley after a moment or two of small talk. Riley stepped away from the phone long enough to ask permission.

“Yeah, sure thing. Come on over. Your parents dropping you off?”

“That’s, uh… that’s kind of the thing. I don’t really know how I’m going to get over there. It’s… it’s really complicated, man.” Rhett sighed. He had hoped that Riley would be able to pick him up at Link’s house and that he could explain on the way back to Riley’s.

“Holy  _ crap _ . You left, didn’t you?” Riley’s shock was evident through the phone, and Rhett’s silence was the confirmation Riley needed. “Yeah, sure. I’m on my way. Where are you?” Rhett offered up Link’s address, giving Riley directions to Link’s house. Link tightened his arms around Rhett’s shoulders, holding on for dear life. He didn’t want Rhett to leave, but he understood why he had to.

When Riley pulled up almost an hour later, Link followed Rhett to the car and wrapped him in a tight hug. Riley opened the trunk of his car and came and grabbed the duffel that was sitting by Rhett’s feet.

“I’m going to load up the car while you two lovebirds say your sappy goodbyes. This everything?” Rhett nodded and smiled, but his eyes never left Link. “God, you two are cute. It’s making me a little sick.” Riley laughed, but Rhett and Link were lost in each other. Rhett gave Link a small kiss on the cheek and pulled away to place his backpack in the car before Riley could close the trunk. It hit him then that he’d never formally introduced Riley and Link. They’d never met, only seeing each other across the court during the basketball game.

“Uh… Riley, this is Link. Link, Riley.” They both rolled their eyes at Rhett stating the obvious.

“Hey, uh, Rhett? Thanks for the introduction, but I’m pretty sure I could have picked Link out of a lineup based on description alone. You  _ never  _ shut up about him.” Riley smirked, his annoyance clearly intended to be playful, and Link blushed. “Nice to meet you, though, Link. For real, I mean.” Link shook his hand and then turned to Rhett. He opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn’t sure what to say. Even though he and Rhett had kissed and hugged in front of Riley, he worried that saying “I love you” in front of him might be too private.

The three of them stood there awkwardly before Rhett realized that he hadn’t made a move toward the car. He pulled Link in for one more quick kiss, then said goodbye as he climbed into Riley’s car. Riley stood on the driver’s side, resting his arm on top of the car and looking at Link.

“Hey, Link. Friday night, I’m having some guys over to play poker. It’s kind of our weekly deal. It isn’t for money or anything, just for fun. You joining us?”

“Sure, I’d like that.” Link couldn’t help but smile.

“Ask your mom if you can stay the weekend. It’ll be easier. Rhett can call or whatever to make sure it’s still cool for you to come over, and then we can pick you up Friday night, okay?” Link agreed to ask his mom, and Riley climbed into the car. After a quick look back toward the passenger seat, Link walked inside. Even though he and Rhett were apart, and they’d be 45 minutes away instead of a few minutes across town, Link knew for sure when he’d see Rhett again. Somehow, he felt  _ free _ .

* * *

 

Rhett adjusted his graduation cap and shifted in his seat. He was staring down the future, realizing that he didn’t have a plan after today. He knew for sure, though, that his plan for the future didn’t include NC State. Two days earlier, he’d been sitting in the floor of Riley’s bedroom.

_ The telephone sat between them, and they looked at each other. Rhett took a deep breath. _

_ “You’ve got this, man. Just do it. Rip the bandage off. It’ll be way easier once you do.” Riley spoke encouragements, took time to give the pep talk that Rhett needed to hear until he was ready to pick up the phone. Rhett held the card in his hand, turning it over and smoothing a thumb over the embossed numbers. He held the phone to his ear with his shoulder, then dialed the number. _

_ “Hello?” The voice on the other end of the line was gruff. _

_ “Coach? It’s Rhett McLaughlin. I’m supposed to play basketball for you this upcoming season.” He was hesitant. After this phone call, there was no going back. From here on out, he had no plan, no clear road ahead, nothing. _

_ “How can I help you, McLaughlin?” _

_ “Well, I was… I was calling because, uh, well, circumstances have changed.” Rhett paused to compose himself. “I won’t be able to attend NC State this year after all. I wanted to let you know that I unfortunately have to withdraw my letter of intent. I’m really sorry, sir.” He tried to say it as professionally as possible. _

_ “So you’re not coming?” The coach had been no-nonsense and really didn’t seem interested in the details of why Rhett had changed his mind. “Okay, I’ll cross you off the list. Best of luck, Mr. McLaughlin.” Rhett heard the click of the call ending before he could even say a thank you or  goodbye. It was done, the NC State chapter of his life was over before it had ever started. _

_ Riley took the phone and placed it back on his bedside table. He picked up a paper that had been sitting there and handed it to Rhett. The top of the paper read “University of North Carolina-Asheville.” _

_ Rhett shook his head and tried to hand it back to Riley. _

_ “It’s too late.” His best bet, he figured, was to get a job in Asheville, near Link, and try applying the following year. _

_ “No, Rhett, it’s not. Look at the bottom. There’s a late application option.” Riley pointed to the bottom of the application with a pen, showing that Rhett still had a few days to get his application in. _

_ “Yeah, but late applications are probably full… it’s more for like, if there’s an extra spot or something. They’ll probably say no.” Rhett wasn’t willing to let himself get his hopes up, even if there was an option to apply late. _

_ “You never know if you don’t try. Come on, do it for your Prince Charming.” Riley knew how to push Rhett’s buttons, that was for sure. But Rhett took Riley’s encouragement and filled out the application. At the bottom, he saw the note about application fees and set the pen down. He didn’t have the money to apply right now, not when he was trying to get on his feet after leaving home. “No way, buddy. You’re not chickening out. I’ve got it covered.” Riley had sensed the issue Rhett would have with the application, and he was prepared. He handed Rhett a check that was already filled out for the exact amount of the fee. _

_ For the hundredth time, Rhett realized he couldn’t thank Riley enough. It had been Riley’s parents who had allowed him to stay in their home, making sure he could finish out high school. They’d allowed Link to come over and let him spend the night. But this check had Riley’s name on it, the money coming from his personal bank account. This was all him. Rhett reached to pull Riley into a hug, but Riley put his hand up. _

_ “Don’t make it awkward, man. I love you, but we’re not doing the whole hug it out thing right now. I don’t want to smell like you on my date tonight.” _

_ “Then, uh… thanks. Seriously. Thank you.” Rhett’s eyes filled with tears. _

_ “Thank me when you get in.” _

Rhett snapped his attention back to the task at hand… graduating. He looked to his side and scanned the crowd. His parents weren’t there, at least not that he could see. But he did see Link and his mom both sitting there in the crowd. Link had his camera raised to video the ceremony for the documentary. He was beaming.

The next day, their roles would be reversed, Link in cap and gown at Harnett Central while Rhett watched from the crowd. Link thanked his lucky stars. A year ago, he couldn’t have imagined he’d be able to see Rhett graduate, or vice versa, but Rhett’s sudden boldness meant they were actually allowed to see each other regularly. Neither of them were prisoners to Rhett’s parents’ rules anymore. It wasn’t the usual route people took, the way things typically worked, but neither was anything else they’d done.

* * *

 

Link padded down the steps to Riley’s basement for the weekly poker game. He loved the weekend tradition of poker on Fridays and spending the weekend at Riley’s house with Rhett and his new friend Riley. Riley walked over to the mini fridge and pulled out three bottles of soda, bringing them to the table and uncapping them. He passed a bottle to Link and one to Rhett as Link perched himself on Rhett’s knee.

“The other guys will be here soon.” When they arrived, Link would move to his own seat, but for now he wanted to get cozy with Rhett. Link loved the way Riley accepted and loved them, even if he didn’t understand them. Riley grabbed the deck of cards to shuffle, but then made a face like he’d suddenly remembered something. He placed the cards back on the table and stood up. “I’ll be back in a second.”

Riley ran up the stairs, leaving Rhett and Link alone for a moment. Link turned his head to kiss Rhett, and they were still kissing when Riley returned.

“Dude, I’d say get a room, but like… we’re sharing a room. And it’s poker night. Knock it off.” They all laughed. Riley wasn’t being mean about it. If anyone was able to tell them that kind of thing without causing offense, it was him. Link had grown to like him a lot, and he understood why Rhett had become so close to him so quickly. He no longer felt replaced by Riley, but instead felt welcomed into their circle, like he’d found a friend, too.

Riley had a large, thick envelope in his hand and dropped it on the table in front of Rhett.

“Forgot to tell you earlier. You got mail today.” The look on Riley’s face made it clear to Rhett that he hadn’t forgotten, but instead had waited until Link came over to give the mail to him. Rhett opened the corner of it with anticipation, certain he knew what it was. Link looked on as Rhett slid the first piece of paper from the envelope. His eyes grew wide as he read the first lines.

  
  


**_Mr. McLaughlin,_ **

**_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into The University of North Carolina-Asheville._ **

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ The End. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you. Sincerely, thank you, thank you, thank you. When I wrote this as a one-shot awhile ago, I honestly didn't think I'd ever be here over 100,000 words later, wrapping up a story about two boys who have become so near and dear to my heart. I didn't expect the story to touch so many people, or for anyone to find it as easy to relate to as they did. To everyone who read it, I can't thank you enough, but also to everyone who interacted with it, either in comments or messaging me or posting gifs reacting to it... all of that touched me so much. And for all of the art, the trailers, the mood boards, the... everything. Truly, thank you. I couldn't have finished this story without the constant love and support.
> 
> @rhinkipoo, thanks for being there from the beginning. You're wonderful, and I appreciate all of the thoughts and input you've put in, the corrections you've made.
> 
> @clemwasjustagirl, bae, what the heck would I do without you? Thanks for the edits, the love, the ideas, the support. Soulmates are real, and you prove that every time you put up with me and tell me it's no big deal. Love you to bits.


End file.
